


With You

by FromAnotherSun



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Humor, basically a compilation of all sorts of things, mashup prompts are from ch 1-30 so you can skip those if summaries/outlines aren't your cup of tea, plenty of AUs, some drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2019-11-18 04:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 55
Words: 53,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18113396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FromAnotherSun/pseuds/FromAnotherSun
Summary: A collection of tumblr prompt fills, drabbles, and other things.





	1. Historical AU + Second Love

**Author's Note:**

> All Supercorp unless otherwise specified.
> 
> Some (most?) prompt fills such as the Trope Mashups are rough outlines and so they aren't exactly proofread 100% and are more akin to ramblings and random word vomiting than actual full fledged fics. Proper drabbles will come later.

So of course, as these things all start with, Princess Lena, the second heir of the Luthor kingdom is betrothed to the Princess of Argo. It’s a forced affair, but poor young, impressionable Lena is determined to honor her family name and please the Luthor matriarch for once in her life. 

The Princess of Argo is actually surprisingly endearing and sweet? She seems to be a bit of an _idiot_ at times, for lack of a better word, but Lena admires her innocence, brightness, and determination to be kind above all. She’s not bad looking either, kind of muscular too for a young teen 👀, and her hair is a lighter shade of brown than Lena’s. By far Lena’s most favorite physical aspect of her betrothed, however, is her Stunningly Blue™ Eyes. 

Naturally, they fall in love. 

Naturally, Shit Happens™ and Lex Luthor, on some campaign of unjustified vengeance, betrays the alliance formed by Lena’s betrothal and strikes out against the Kingdom of Argo in an attempt to weaken its sister country of Kandor. Despite all of his sister’s protests and the sheer dishonor of his actions, he all but decimates Argo and conquers a good portion of the continent before he is finally brought to heel by the young Prince of Kandor.

Unfortunately, Lex escapes and takes refuge with the Kingdom of Daxam, where he continues to wage war against Prince Kal. Lena alone is left in what remains of the Luthor lands, much of it stripped away by the wrathful victims of Lex’s rampage. Slandered by all the nobles around her, she spends years and years and years of trying to salvage what little remains while navigating the political climate and trying to survive against the fury of the public looking for any reason to put her to death. 

For better or worse, Lex eventually declares war on Lena. Something or another about taking back his birthright from his illegitimate half sister. Basically he’s a dick. Probably jealous of Lena actually rebuilding their home castle into something respectable. 

The good news: as the saying goes, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” and that eases the political pressure on Lena. 

The bad news: Daxam’s proximity to the Luthor domains means that Lex very well could crush Lena and have her head on a stick in a matter of days.

Enter Kara Danvers, a rogue knight in rusty armor, who takes hilarious offense at being called a knight errant for some reason. 

Kara Danvers basically saunters up to the Luthor Castle and knocks on the gates and “If you’re looking for someone to help you fight against Lex, I have a team of people?? And a horse. Krypto is a nice horse.”

And so begins Lena’s associating with this knight erra– rogue knight. Kara is a hell of a sight on the battlefield, carving her way through enemies with ease. During the day, she is very much a textbook protagonist: charming, kind, friendly, and dare Lena say _dashing_? At night, she is more subdued, no doubt haunted by whatever she’s seen through the years. She’s more thoughtful as well, which leads to lots of late night fireside talks between her and Princess Lena. It’s Gay™.

It actually reminds Lena of the old times, when she had the chance to meet up with the long gone Princess of Argo. Kara and the old Princess are actually quite alike with a similar brand of Idiocy (though Kara is clearly less naive) and a brightness in their souls that just screams  _good_. They even look kind of alike, with their Stunningly Blue™ Eyes and if Lena pretended that Kara’s hair was several shades darker, she could imagine that it was the Princess of Argo, all grown up, as she should have been if Lex never happened. 

Against Lena’s better judgement, she finds herself falling in love with the valiant defender of Luthor Castle, the knight who has vowed to protect her without any apparent reason beyond “I want to”. She feels bad though, for she swore never to love another in honor of her fallen betrothed. 

When Knight Kara confesses her feelings, it’s a big fat mess of “oh shit” and “I’m happy but…” and Lena is torn between the past and possible future. But at the prodding of her lady-in-waiting Samantha (after a few really long weeks of agonizing pining and longing stares in hallways), Lena finally does the Useful thing and talks to Kara. She tells her about the Princess of Argo, the one who used to hold her heart.

And then Kara starts laughing.

“Did you know that my hair used to be a lot darker when I was younger?”

Lena nearly slaps her out of shock and relief and frustration and happiness, but she saves that in favor of other more enjoyable actions. 

The two then spend the coming years beating up any invading Daxamites while trying to salvage and recover what they can from the ashes and ruins of Argo. It takes a long time, but they finally track down the lost Seal of Argo, which could restore Kara’s status as the Princess.

And so they present it to Kal, who is more than happy to see his cousin alive, and they kick Lex’s ass to kingdom come and get properly married and live happily ever after. 


	2. Bookshop AU + Dystopian AU

So Kara starts her little bookshop as a rebellion of her own, in a way. At first Alex scoffs and rolls her eyes and clearly doesn’t see how running a bookstore in these trying times does much of anything, but that quickly goes away when more and more people start trickling into Kara’s store. 

It starts with wary, middle-aged people, worn out by the life they’ve lived, then more curious teenagers, intrigued by what literature has to offer, then eventually even little children, just happy to see all the colors and fantastical tales offered between the pages on the shelf. It’s less of a bookstore and more of a library, though Kara does make enough to get by, and it’s always worth it to see Alex, battle scarred rebellion trooper, using funny voices to read to wee kids. 

Kara’s stock is heavily monitored, of course, with grouchy looking “boot-licking assholes” (according to Alex) bursting in every month or so to audit what books she’s offering. Good thing they’re not very good at their jobs and aren’t exactly the bright type, as Kara has the classic Secret Room That You Reach By Pulling A Certain Book On the Shelf where more… thought provoking literature awaits the discerning. She also may or may not have spent a long time building more secret passageways for her sister’s friends to use for more clandestine purposes. Alex definitely never brought up the “futility of a freakin’ _bookstore_ ” again the day Kara used one such path to guide a pair of starving orphans to a rebellion safehouse. 

Kara spends most of her time at the counter, being a Dutiful Cashier and Bookstore Proprietor. If she also uses her time to examine people to spot any potential rebel sympathizer or to surreptitiously hand out coded messages to her patrons, the government doesn’t need to know that. 

On one such day, Kara is reading a comic book about some captain of marvel when in walks in a new customer. She drops the comic.

The woman looks subdued and small, almost withdrawing into herself, but her eyes are bright and inquisitive. She’s also heckin’ pretty, which is mainly why Kara drops her jaw as well.

She introduces herself as Lena. 

“Like the sister of our honorable chairman?” Kara asks, hiding how the last few words bring bile to her throat.”

“I guess,” Lena says wryly, and Kara sympathizes. It’s probably not easy sharing the name of the sister of the resident tyrant.

Lena Not Luthor takes her time browsing the shelves, often skipping past entire sections (mostly government revisionist history, Kara noted) and lingering on more science-oriented references. She also spends a notable amount of time in the romance section, to Kara’s interest, though ultimately she settles on a single book. A medieval fantasy. 

“Sorry for being so indecisive,” Lena murmurs with a wry smile. “You have quite a bit of stock compared to other places.”

“It’s okay,” Kara remembers to answer. “You’re always welcome here.”

And so Lena becomes a regular.

She doesn’t seem to talk too much, though she always engages in conversation when prompted. She never divulges too much of her thoughts on politics, but Kara has picked up that she’s not too fond of the increasing cruelty and iron grip of the government. 

Talking about the past is forbidden and a quick way to get Govt. Goons knocking on her innocent little bookshop, but Kara quickly realizes that a good topic they both seem to adore is talk of the future, of what possibilities await. At first these discussions start fairly grounded in strictly science (and Kara may or may not have spent an extra night checking out whatever books Lena mentioned), but Kara soon confirms that Lena is a romantic at heart. They eventually chat about an almost fantastical future, where people of all kinds are allowed to be happy, allowed to exist, and hearts and minds are free to be. 

“Lena could be an ally,” Kara muses to Alex one day.

“You don’t even know who she is,” Alex reminds her.

“No, but I trust her,” Kara says.

They use Samantha Arias as an intermediary, having her approach Lena under the guise of a stranger just wanting to know her better. The two instantly click, and after a few meetings, Lena, while cautious as ever, accepts an invite to a rebellion rally. 

(Sam also brings up the fact that Lena nearly declined her invitation to coffee once or twice, citing a prior interest in someone. Kara may or may not have been a little too interested in that fact.)

And so months pass, with the rebellion growing braver in its toil against Lex Luthor and his government. Lena never becomes a full blown member and doesn’t seem to particularly like crowds or attention, but she is constantly by Kara’s side in their little bookstore, discussing what ifs and what was and what could be. 

And then Lena stops coming.

On the third day of her absence, Kara is woken with news and ear-deafening celebration: Lex Luthor is dead. 

Nobody is sure how it happened, but Lillian Luthor has seized power. Lex’s illusive sister, whom many had pegged as his successor, seems to have vanished. Some doubt if she existed at all, considering how she never seemed to leave their iron tower.

Alex informs Kara about a new mission of utter importance not long after. Lillian is transferring a high priority prisoner to the Phantom Complex, which is Rich Tyrant Speak for “a place where they throw you in a torture cage for eternity and toss the key out.” AKA whoever is in that convoy is the person Lillian hates most in the world and likely a powerful ally for the rebellion. Later intel confirms this: the prisoner is the anonymous assassin of Lex Luthor.

The convoy is actually due to pass not far from Kara’s bookshop, and she is ordered to close it down for the day. She obliges, but she has her passageways at the ready, prepared to save whoever is shackled to the middlemost armored truck. 

She waits with bated breath, praying for her sister’s and friends’ safety, hoping this mission goes off without a hitch. Of course, it’s not so simple. It’s a high priority target, after all, and an all out battle breaks out in the streets. The rebellion was ready for this though, and thousands of armed civilians take to the streets, pouring out of the slums in a concentrated effort against the government. What Lillian had perceived as the target was but a distraction against the full attack.

Of course, rescuing the prisoner is still an important goal. Unfortunately, Lillian’s loathing for this person had no limits and it turns out that armored truck was rigged to explode should anyone try anything. And so Kara rushes to help organize the medics and make way for Lex Luthor’s bloodied and battered murderer.

When she looks down at the cot, she sees Lena Not Luthor. Turns out she actually _is_ Lena Luthor.

The rebellion leaders are in an uproar about this information. Some don’t believe it and are ready to have her killed on the spot. Others are skeptical but ready to weaponize this fact, use Lena as a figurehead against the government. 

Kara fights back all of them. She quickly shuts down the naysayers, citing Lena’s quiet efforts to help by handing out food, hinting at the next governmental city sweep, and her general good character. She also dismisses the plotters, saying they should wait until Lena is actually, you know, awake.

She’s afraid that Lena won’t actually wake up, but her friend does after a few weeks. At first Lena is reluctant about being a public figure and painting such a huge target on herself, but she eventually agrees. On her own terms.

“It’s time I used all of my power for good,” she says. “But I won’t be your puppet figurehead.”

And so yada yada they kick Lillian’s ass AS SHE DESERVES, and finally a new government is installed with J’onn J’onnz as the temporary leader. 

Kara and Lena get married after J’onn’s inauguration, and after a few years they retire from the public eye, but if you know where to go in the reborn city, you’ll still be able to find Kara and Lena Danver’s bookshop. 


	3. Royal AU + Forgotten First Meeting

To put a spin on things, they’re more modern royalty so less bloodshed and more progressiveness like “It’s 2019, Mom, enough with the arranged marriages.” Except of course, life isn’t so simple, so as the soon-to-be-crowned Duchess of SomeRoyalSoundingPlaceLikeYharnamOrSomething, Lena Luthor has to fend off a lot of suitors and a lot of pressure to pick a suitor. So she has some choice in the matter, but not a whole lot.

Dealing with a lot of Persistent and Slimy Men™ out to either get in her pants or get a hold of her inheritance/title is a pain in the ass, frankly. Apparently implying “I’m gay” doesn’t work as well as you’d think it would, and it only encourages other dangerous gold diggers like Veronica Sinclair and such. So Lena likes to escape to her personal gardens when possible, tending to the flowers she personally grows. It’s her quiet place, her safe place away from the machinations that tend to dominate the rest of the manor when guests are around.

On one such day, she’s carefully pruning her favorite set of plumerias when suddenly she hears an “Oh my god…” whispered with such reverence that it sends a flush through her cheeks.

Cue a really cute blonde standing at the edge of the garden, no doubt having accidentally wandered into this section of the manor. Her jaw is agape and her glasses are actually kind of askew as she just blatantly ogles Lena, who is much more subtle about ogling the blonde back.

The problem comes when the blonde drops what she was holding… which was a leash… that was holding back a freakin’ gigantic white ball of fluff that immediately goes barreling high speed towards Lena, trampling anything and everything on his way to covering Lena in slobber.

It’s Chaos™.

The blonde and the “white demon” are promptly booted off of Lena’s property, the first time she’s exercised that power with such fury. Her poor garden is in tatters and her mother is nagging her about something about offending some other noble house blah blah blah could have been a good match blah blah blah all over a stupid bunch of flowers blah blah blah are you even listening blah blah blah

Lena is unable to visit her little garden for quite a few weeks, grieving for the loss of her plants and all that hard work. She takes to sneaking into the local city, sneaking around incognito into coffee shops and bookstores.

That’s when she runs into Kara Danvers.

The blonde is gorgeous and charming and dashing and just fabulous and Lena personally would deny having a specific thing for blondes, but Kara is just way too attractive. She’s also really dorky and endearing too like… a whole perfect package?? And somehow she seems really interested in Lena too???

So one run in at a coffee shop leads to two leads to three leads to more and leads to actual dates. All the while, Lena hides her last name and her identity as Lena Luthor, Duchess of Yharnam, and while she hints to Kara that Kara might not like who she really is, Kara, bless her gay soul, says she really doesn’t care as long as Lena is happy.

So one day Kara is sick and Lena decides to surprise her by visiting her at home, where Lena has never visited before. She drives herself, punching in the address into her GPS and she starts getting a Very Suspicious Feeling as she drives past the city and into quite open fields. She finally stops at a cozy house that belongs right in a fairytale, surrounded by lush greens and dense woods.

She knocks on the door, chicken noodle soup in hand, and Kara opens it.

Now, Lena had never seen Kara in glasses before… or so she thought. And just as she realizes where she’s seen Blonde in Glasses Mimicking Surprised Pikachu before, a freakin’ gigantic white ball of fluff immediately goes barreling high speed towards Lena, trampling Kara on his way to covering Lena in slobber.

Chicken noodle soup goes flying everywhere in the midsts of “OH MY GOD IT WAS YOU” and it’s Chaos™.

When things have finally settled down (which involves Kara literally sitting on Krypto while he insists on having his head on Lena’s lap), they sort out the truth.

Turns out Kara is the female Heiress to the House of El, and her cousin, who is in love with a “commoner” despite being the male heir, had begged and pleaded for her to visit the Luthor Manor as a potential suitor in his stead. Somehow she didn’t get that memo until the literal day of, and for the sake of not offending the Luthors, she basically crawled out of bed and went. Krypto somehow snuck along and just as she was trying to find a good place to hide him, she stumbled upon a ridiculously pretty brunette in the gardens… and the rest is history.

Lena has no idea whether to laugh or cry or facepalm at all the pieces falling in place, so she just kisses Kara. Krypto is very happy.

Lillian is finally somewhat appeased when they announce their engagement little over a year later. “You could have married the other El,” she criticizes. “Then at least you could continue the bloodline.”

Lena ignores her, of course, and she’s glad when she finally gets an excuse to send her mother to a property far away. She spends the rest of her days happily married to Kara, and they spend plenty of time nurturing a garden full of love and happiness.

Krypto is still banned from going anywhere near it.


	4. Stranded on A Deserted Island + I Didn't Mean to Turn You On

So for some Gay Drama™, this is going to be set after a kinda messy Supergirl Reveal. Lena is currently not exactly happy with Kara. 

(She’s not actually _mad_. She just wants to see her squirm and it’s kind of cute watching Kara turn into an overeager puppy just trying to please Lena. (It’s a way for her to feel that someone actually cares about her and her feelings, you know?))

So Lena “A Force for Good” Luthor has come up with a potential, new,  revolutionary way of flight. New fancy tech that the average person without many brains (AKA me) probably wouldn’t understand, but Lena could recite all the details in her sleep. Lena, being her dramatic, selfless, self-sacrificing self, insists on testing the prototype herself in case anything goes wrong. Of course, her (ex?) best friend insists on accompanying her to save her butt should anything actually go wrong.

Through the powers of gay, something _does_ go wrong, and the plane explodes conveniently over a deserted island. Supergirl, naturally, saves the day, but due to some Contrived Plot Coincidence, whatever tech Lena was using in the plane causes Kara’s powers to short out. Also literally everything except for them dies in the explosion…. so here we are:

Kara and Lena are stranded on a desert island with no way to get off. 

Lena spends the first few hours scavenging the remains of her plane for something to put together. Meanwhile, Kara just lays in the sand, dead to the world, while she tries to recharge from the sun. (She may or may not be sneaking glances at Lena, but Lena doesn’t need to know that.)

Because the Power of Gay demands that they stay on this island longer, neither of their efforts work. So with a pissy Lena and a grouchy Kara, the two tackle the Great Wild Wilderness of the island as they attempt to find shelter and food.

It’s kind of funny/sad when Kara says she’ll go scout the island and she makes some sort of funky jump in the air only to land back on solid ground. It gets funnier/sadder when she does manage to climb a tree, but is totally exhausted by the time she reaches the top and just hangs off a branch like a wet sock. 

It’s not funny at all when a freakin’ bear shows up. 

“Lena, run while I handle it.”

“What are you going to do, _fight_ the bear???”

“…”

“… Oh my god KARA NO DO NOT FIGHT THE BEAR”

They somehow manage to escape (probably because the bear was only curious to see what was drawing such rainbow energy to this little island) and by the time they do find a safe stretch of beach to rest at, the sun has already set. 

By now, Lena is exhausted, but she can only imagine how terrible Kara feels. The de-powered Kryptonian is hugging her knees, glaring at a pile of sticks nearby. Lena realizes that even now, Kara is trying to will her power back, hoping she can zap the twigs and turn them into a working fire. 

Lena doesn’t say a word as she takes a seat next to Kara. She just rests her head on Kara’s shoulder, snuggling closer for warmth. Kara doesn’t say anything either, but she puts her arm around Lena. She’s holding her pretty tightly, but Lena just wonders if this is the first time they’ve embraced with Kara not having to hold back her full strength. 

After a night of poor sleep quality and a breakfast of questionable looking fruit, Kara’s powers _still_ haven’t come back. She seems brighter than last night though (snuggling with Lena Luthor does that) and she’s up pretty early, apparently trying to fashion some sort of raft out of twine and bark and branches.

“I mean we weren’t that far from the mainland, right?” she says as she’s pulling a particularly stubborn branch.

Lena, who is not exactly a morning person, just shrugs. Some part of her brain says something about Alex probably sending the entire Coast Guard to look for them, but she’s not awake enough to fully process the thought. She’s more content with watching Kara work (she wants to thank Winn for designing a suit that accentuates her biceps so well). 

It’s surprisingly hot for how early it is, so Lena decides to take off her sweat and grime covered top. And that’s when she hears a loud _thwack_.

Lo and behold, Kara’s hand apparently slipped and the branch she was wrestling with basically snapped like a rubber band and smacked her in the face. 

There’s blood everywhere and probably a broken nose (along with Kara’s very battered pride), so Lena rushes over and uses her discarded shirt to wipe at Kara’s face. It’s hard finding a part of her shirt that isn’t covered in dirt, but it’s even harder when Kara refuses to keep her face still, her eyes darting all over the place.

“Stay still!” Lena demands.

“I– I can’t!” Kara stutters, and is it Lena or is Kara actually turning kind of red…?

It suddenly clicks when Kara’s eyes keep sliding back to a certain place before quickly moving away. 

“Is my cleavage that distracting, Miss Danvers?”

“NO! I mean yes– I mean no! But yes! But no!!!!!!” 

Kara quickly realizes she’s already dug her grave, so she just settles for grumbling and mumbling and cursing the branch for putting her in this situation.  Lena tries really hard not to laugh as she hands Kara an apple, but she can’t help but say “I didn’t mean to turn you on.”

Kara spits out the chunk of apple she had been chewing on. Lena actually laughs.

And then Lena realizes something.

“Wait… when you told me you were Supergirl…”

“Are you still mad about that?” Kara sulks.

“No, but… you said you liked me?”

“Y– Yeah?”

“Did you mean that _romantically_?”

Kara’s now staring at Lena like she’s grown a pair of wings.

“What did you _think_ I meant?”

“I thought you meant you liked me as a friend!”

“Oh my GOD Lena”

Somewhere in the distance, a bear facepalms.

They spend the rest of the morning tending to Kara’s poor nose and discussing their not-platonic feelings for each other. There’s also a lot of unresolved tension regarding their mutual physical attraction, but just as they’re about to have their First Kiss, a helicopter shows up.

“Why are you covered in blood and why is Lena shirtless?” Alex asks. She doesn’t even wait for an answer before lugging them onto the chopper and taking them back home.

The island later becomes their personal haven, somewhere they go to on their anniversaries and other such occasions. Kara does eventually successfully build a raft without breaking a nose, and “The One Time I Got Stranded On an Island With Lena Luthor and Almost Saw Her Boobs” remains a memory for the ages.


	5. Fairy Tale AU + Time Travel + Magical Accidents

So this is set in a medieval-ish fantasy-ish world. 

So Kara’s always been interested in fairy tales. Their world isn’t one ground in strict rules of reality, and magic does play a part in people’s lives. It isn’t wrong to try and dream a little bigger, is it?

So Kara is fond of fairy tales. She’s especially partial towards a collection written by L. L. Danvers (possibly, some distant relative, who knows?) since it does have the traditional tales… but they all have a twist, a quirk that makes the characters even livelier and realistic. There are also some original tales in the book, and Kara’s favorite is the classic Knight and Princess.

In this particular tale, the Knight comes from unknown lands, far, far away. The Knight stumbles upon the classic abused, neglected Princess, and they strike up a fast friendship. Though the Knight may be whisked away at any time by the hands of fate, they do their best to spend time together, enriching each other’s lives and encouraging them to be their best selves. Over time, it seems the Princess finds the courage to stand up to her family, and she exposes the evils of her Evil Stepmother. Unfortunately, not long after, the Knight is forced to return home, but before leaving, they vow that they will meet again. The Princess waits years and years and years, and her patience is finally rewarded: they meet again and live happily ever after.

It’s a fairly straightforward story, but Kara appreciates how L. L. Danvers takes the time to construct the bond between the two leads. She also appreciates how this particular Knight doesn’t save the Princess, but helps the Princess find the strength to save herself. Kara rather admires that and is inspired by that,  and she loves rereading this story, much to her girlfriend’s amusement. 

Her girlfriend is none other than Lady Lena Luthor, the Baroness of the West. She’s a rather progressive young woman, constantly challenging archaic traditions and breaking boundaries by associating more with commoners than nobles. Kara is one such commoner, though she’s actually well regarded by many as the adopted daughter of the late alchemist Jeremiah Danvers. 

They met in a bookstore run by their mutual friend Samantha Arias. Kara had been booted out of the shop she and Alex run together, with Alex insisting that she needs to do more than work all day. “Go out and meet people,” Alex had said. “Oh, and go bring this flower to Sam. DON’T SAY A WORD.”

And it was there that Kara ran into beauty personified, sitting by the window, reading a novel with sunlight cascading down on her, framing her as though she was an angel. Kara may or may not have knocked a bookshelf over in her staring, but the mysterious lady seemed to find it cute rather than stupid, and they quickly hit it off. 

Even now, as Alex is working on a long term project of theirs, Kara is distracted with thoughts of her beloved. They’ve been together for over a year now, and Kara falls more and more in love with her fair lady each day. 

Meanwhile, Alex is grumbling one thing or another about this particular potion. Her father had left vague notes about it, scraps that she and Kara had pieced together over the years, and while they managed to understand quite a bit of it, some parts just simply Don’t Make Sense. The most intriguing clue is a “Tmtrvl?” and a “GUARANTEED POSSIBLE” scribbled next to it. 

Just then, their newest iteration of their father’s work starts bubbling and lo and behold, Kara reaches the flask first. Before she can pull it off the fire, it explodes in a shower of rainbow sparkles and blue and red gas, and everything goes white. 

Kara lands on her face in the middle of nowhere. Upon getting up, she immediately realizes that she’s actually still near her home town. Not far from Lena’s castle, actually. As she wanders in that general direction, she’s excited, ready to tell her girlfriend and sister that they may have discovered teleportation of all things.

Kara takes a detour before she reaches the main gates. Lena always preferred to live in the small cottage near the castle rather than in the fortress proper, since she preferred a cozier, more homely environment than stone walls. Kara knocks on the door and… a young teenage girl opens it.

“Yes?” she asks, her green eyes guarded.

She looks familiar, and Kara just blinks in confusion before blurting out “Lena!?”

So apparently this isn’t teleportation. What Jeremiah had given them was the clues to time traveling. 

Kara manages to come up with an identity as a visiting knight that got robbed before Lena skewers her with the sword on her waist. While older!Lena was known to be one of the nicest nobles around, young!Lena seems to be… sharper and pointier, much like the sword that she never seems to set aside as she speaks to Kara. 

Glancing out the windows, Kara notices that the lands don’t seem to be faring all that well either. She and Alex had lived with Eliza separately from Jeremiah’s workshop when they were younger for their own safety, so she had seldom come to this domain. In her time, the Luthor lands were lush and filled with life, and the barony thrived under Lena’s genius. Right now though, everything seemed barren and lifeless, and the marketplace usually visible just down the hill wasn’t even there.

“My brother seems more concerned with raising troops than anything else,” Lena mutters as she notices Kara frowning at a weakly herd of cattle being shepherded in the direction of the castle. “My mother has a long feud with Lady Rhea of Daxam, and my brother wishes to end it.”

Kara chats a little longer with young Lena before heading off to the alchemic workshop. Jeremiah is there, vibrant and alive. He immediately recognizes her though, so it’s a bit chaotic when he starts sputtering and saying “How did you grow up so fast!? You were a shrimp just a month ago!”

Needing some place to stay, Kara trusts her stepfather and so tells him the truth of how she went back in time. He offers up the workshop as her home and they both pretend that she’s a distant relative while they figure out how to send her back.

It’s arduous, time consuming work, and while Kara helps out when she can, she also finds herself visiting Lena on occasion. It’s partially because it’s fun seeing how cute her girlfriend used to be when she was Smol, but also because it’s glaringly clear how lonely and withdrawn the not-yet-baroness is. 

Some habits don’t seem to change, as Lena is usually reading when Kara drops by. But she always sets her book aside to talk to Kara, and she never makes Kara feel like she isn’t welcome. They talk about all sorts of things, from the latest town gossip (”Lady Ardeen was kissing WHO? But she’s married to– I mean doesn’t she like Lady Gayle?”) to politics (”Your brother is a meanie butt, no offense.”) to even random things such as “What would you be if you could be anything?”

It’s heartwarming, seeing Lena slowly open up to resemble more of the mature and self-assured girlfriend Kara knows. As Jeremiah slowly approaches a solution though, Kara realizes her time is limited. 

She imparts some words to Lena one day.

“You are a beautiful and clever young woman. You are capable of so much _good_. No matter what, I know you’ll find the strength to find your own happiness.”

Young Lena stares at her for a bit. She doesn’t quite reply, but there’s something in her eyes that Kara is glad to see: hope. 

Yet another lab mishap is what sends Kara back to her own time before she can say her farewell to Lena. She barely manages to say an “I’m fine” to a shocked Alex before she stumbles out of their shop, mounts Krypto, and dashes to Lena’s cottage.

“You’re back,” Lena breathes when Kara bursts in.

“I’m so proud of you, you know that? Like Alex and I didn’t move to the West until a couple years ago so I didn’t know how bad it was here but like I got sent back in time and I saw how crappy everything was here and I saw how alone you were–but you were really cute as a teenager! So small! But anyways Lex was so mean and your mother is so dumb and–” Kara’s rambling at this point, but she can’t stop herself because Lena Luthor truly is great. 

By the time she’s done with her spiel, she’s not sure if Lena believes her or not. It seems Kara had only been missing for a few hours in their own time, and how do you even explain that time travel is real?

But then Lena smiles. “Where do you think I got the inspiration for The Knight and the Princess?”

“… Wuh?”

“I wrote that story based on the hero who showed up in my life and then vanished, only for me to meet her in a bookstore years later,” Lena reveals. 

“What? But… What? L. L. Danvers???”

“I _might_ have borrowed your last name as a pseudonym.”

Kara has _so_ many questions right now, but Lena’s growing blush warms her heart and her mouth decides to blurt out the following:

“Do you want to _officially_ have my last name?”


	6. Fake Marriage + Scars

So it starts with Kara Danvers, a celebrated race car driver. She’s the fastest one around, easily winning championships and trophies in this male-dominated sport. Aside from naysayers (read: sexist dumbasses) she’s actually generally well loved by the public. She’s never degrading towards her fellow racers, and she’s always offering a warm smile to all. She’s never arrogant about her world famous status, and she spends quite a bit of her time doing charity work. Children especially love her, and she loves meet and greets where she gets to talk to itty bitty boys and girls who admire her. 

It all comes to and end when she has a horrific crash. 

Some say it was bad luck, some say it was sabotage, some uglier people say it was her own fault. The end result is the same: Kara Danvers’ left hand is partially paralyzed and the left side of her face is covered in a web of deep scars. Despite the fact that she gets out of the hospital fairly quickly, it’s clear that she will never race again.

She shuns the limelight for a while. The media hounds her, looking to milk all the pity points they can and trying to find the most Dramatic and Tragic Narrative they can spin out of this. Alex Danvers almost gets arrested for fighting a paparazzi asshole, though the cop that broke up that fight let her go with a warning. 

Kara spends a few months in recovery, and she tries her best to smile despite the pain it causes her, and the pain of losing her passion. Though advertisers and sponsors have long since pulled her from their products (”With a face like that, Miss Danvers… it’s a little…” “I understand.”) Kara is still well off, and so she devotes her time to some behind the scenes charity work. When she can, she chats online with kids so that her words can reach them even if they don’t see her. 

Meanwhile, the biggest Rich People event of the year is just around the corner. It’s essentially a televised charity dinner party, for millionaires and billionaires and trillionaires to throw their money at causes and be publicly seen for how many zeros they’re signing on to these checks. It’s quite a Blatantly PR sort of affair, but with so much pride and money on the line, past events have actually done quite a bit to help those in need. Money is the means, and changing things, even influencing politics, is the ends. 

Kara was a staple of the past few galas, her genuine wholesomeness winning the hearts of the masses and the checks of the rich. She was due to go again this year, to help fund and promote Alex’s overseas medical efforts… except rich people can be real assholes.

“They’ve rescinded your invitation,” Cat grant tells her over the phone one day. There’s none of the usual snobbiness or haughtiness in her voice, which is telling. “This year’s host, Rhea Daxam, doesn’t think your ‘image is public friendly’. Her words, not mine.”

“I guess not even pretending to go as the Phantom of the Opera would work, huh?” Kara jokes as she fights back tears. 

Cat calls back the next day, saying she has a plan.

“So perhaps your individual invitation was cancelled… but I have a way to get you in.”

Her way: pretend that Kara’s a certain somebody’s spouse and nobody with half a brain would dare turn her away. 

That certain somebody = Lena Luthor, CEO of L-Corp and possibly one of the most richest people alive.

She’d actually be guaranteed the most rich person in the universe were it not for her using a sizable portion of her fortune for philanthropic purposes. 

They meet up a few weeks before the gala to straight (lol) out their stories. Kara does wear a half mask, though Lena doesn’t seem to treat her any differently. They actually get along kind of well, enough for Lena to divulge that she’s not on the best terms with her mother. 

“While of course I’m doing this to help you and your sister out, I’m also doing this to get back at my mom,” Lena confesses. She winks at Kara, who tries not to choke on her water. “Imagine the look on her face when I walk in married to a woman. Her bigoted mind will have a riot.”

She doesn’t bring up Kara’s scars at all, not until they’re about to say their goodbyes.

“I apologize if this offends you,” Lena says, suddenly a lot shier than the confident businesswoman from before. “But can I… Can I see?”

Kara takes off her mask, expecting disgust or blatant pity or whatever other look people have been giving her for months. But Lena simply tilts her head thoughtfully. Whatever’s going through her mind, she doesn’t say, and she even carefully traces the deepest scar marring Kara’s face. 

The day before the gala, Lena announces that she’s taking her spouse to the event. Her spouse being Kara Danvers.

The media explodes and Lillian Luthor must have dropped her phone or something because she tweets “dsjaofipsdoifaewf” followed by “???????????????”, which she deletes a few minutes later. 

It’s a bit terrifying being at the mercy of the sea of a hundred cameras, but Kara bears it. It’s easier with Lena by her side, her “wife” spinning a rather touching tale of how they fell in love.

“My wife has faced an incredible challenge, one that hasn’t ended,” Lena says. “But she has persevered. Every day, she perseveres. Every day, she works to make the dreams of others come true. Every day, she makes it a goal to have as many smiles in the world as possible. Every day, she inspires me with the beauty of her heart, and I am glad to call her my wife.”

The gala actually goes pretty well. Some snootier douchebags blatantly ignore Kara, and she’s amused when in turn, Lena ignores them. Other kinder people do try to talk to her, and she appreciates their effort despite them speaking as though she was on her deathbed. Some other folks greet her quite warmly, congratulating her recovery and her “marriage” and pledging their support for her sister’s cause. 

And then Lillian Luthor happens. 

She must be drunk or something, for she immediately starts making passive aggressive insults about Lena when her daughter leaves Kara’s side for a moment. Kara snaps back with a polite smile, and so begins their verbal duel. Kara actually holds her own pretty well for not having dealt with Rich Snobs and Public Appearances for quite a while.

And then Lillian Luthor says, “Don’t act so high and mighty. She only married you out of pity. She should be ashamed for tainting the Luthor name with you and your disgusting scars–”

Before Kara can say anything Lillian’s white dress is suddenly doused in red. 

Lena is seething as she puts down her empty glass, and she basically chews out her mother in public on TV. 

“The only shameful Luthor around here is you,” she snarls. “Kara is everything everyone in this world should aspire to be. Her scars are a sign of what she’s been through and what she can do, and if you dare insult her one more time–”

The cameras mercifully stop recording at that point (probably Cat Grant’s doing), and Lena and Kara retire early from the gala. 

Later, in their shared hotel room, Lena starts pulling up the hem of her dress. Before Kara can start freaking out and turning into a gay mess, she sees what Lena is trying to show her: a prosthetic leg. 

“My mother has spent years shaming me for this,” Lena murmurs. “I’m not going to let her shame you for what happened.”

Kara is pretty sure she’s in love by this point, but she doesn’t reveal this until months and months later. It’s also roughly around the time when Lena confesses that she has always followed Kara’s career and works, even after her accident. 

“I kind of had a crush on you from the start,” she says.

“Good, because I kind of have a crush on you too.”

They keep up the appearance of being married for “convenience”, both of them working as a team to bring more awareness to those with disabilities, scars, wounds, burns, anything that would give hatred an easy target. 

Alex’s medical organization is also fully funded, and while she spends much time flying all over the place, she makes sure she’s back in National City in time for the quiet, private ceremony where Kara and Lena are formally wedded. 


	7. Space AU + Arranged Marriage

So this would be lowkey crack, by which I mean for some absurd reason, there’s a new species of super powerful aliens in some galaxy that has made contact with both Earth and Krypton, two planets that have already made contact and are tentative allies. 

Now the bit about being super powerful is important, for these new aliens… let’s call them Fandomites have the ability to squish both Earth and Krypton in a mere matter of seconds. The Fandomites aren’t entirely crazy/bloodthirsty though, so they’re open to having envoys visit their planet and basically formally establish communications and friendship.

Except the Fandomites _are_ kinda crazy and have funky rules about things.

Kara is chosen as the Kryptonian representative, since they need to send someone of sufficient importance and brains. 

When she walks onto the Lunar base where she’ll be joining the Earth envoy, that’s when she first hears about the first of the Fandomites’ ridiculous rules.

1) Envoys must come only in pairs. 2 people, no more, no less. 

“What?” Kara asks. “So it’s just going to be me and the Earth representative??”

The second, even more ridiculous rule smacks her in the face as she approaches the ship they’re going to take. It’s evident in the setup right before the entry ramp and how it strongly resembles an altar.

2) Envoys must be married. To each other.

“ _What_?” Kara asks. “I’m getting _married_? Right now???? To a complete and total stranger!???????”

The answer is yes. For Fandomites are also notoriously impatient, and any excessive delays would not be welcome. Kara is still all “??????” as she’s forced through the motions of a wedding and married to someone whose name she doesn’t even catch.

They’re basically shoved aboard the ship mere minutes later. 

“?????” Kara thinks as she sits in one of the chairs in the cockpit.

“You’re in my seat,” a surprisingly lovely voice says.

“???????!!!!!” Kara thinks as she looks up to see a stunningly beautiful woman: her wife, apparently. 

Her wife, Lena Luthor, looks about as pleased as she is to be here, which is to say not at all. She’s still ridiculously gorgeous though, even as she frowns and starts glaring at Kara.

Kara quickly scampers out of her wife’s seat. 

“Do you know how long this journey is going to be?” Kara asks, trying to make conversation.

“Six. Months,” Lena hisses. Yeeeeaaah, she probably got roped/tricked into this too. 

“Well, here’s to hoping these six months go by quickly,” Kara smiles weakly before introducing herself. “I’m Kara Zor-El, and I hope we get along well.”

Her wife seems to visibly soften at that. “Lena Luthor,” she returns quickly before leaving the cockpit.

Okay, fine. Not the conversational type. Kara can deal with that as long as Lena doesn’t outright _hate_ her or something.

(The reality is more like Lena not expecting Kara’s friendliness and the genuine _sincerity_ in her voice when she says “I hope we get along well”, not to mention how Kara is actually pretty good looking? And seems like a _good_ person?? And oh no Lena is lowkey having the beginnings of a gay panic and needs to Evacuate the room.)

Lena is more amiable after the first day, and by amiable Kara means she’s not glaring at everything. She’s still not super talkative though, but as Kara’s learned, food is the best way to someone’s heart. 

Kara begins spicing up dinners for Lena, as in this day and age, flight food is still… blargh. She glad when Lena seems to eat all of it, rather than the few leftovers she’s always left behind. 

Lena thanks her with a tablet filled with select reading. Quite a bit are of the latest science breakthroughs, though some are also random puff pieces about life, and more are random literature that Lena herself probably likes. _You might be interested in these_ , a post-it on the tablet says. _Reading will help pass the time._

They also start playing remote chess, where Kara sends a move and gets a notification on her tablet when Lena has made hers. The games usually end in Lena’s sound victory, though the one time Kara forced a draw, she found a cup of hot chocolate waiting for her in the kitchen. 

So while they don’t exactly talk a lot, they settle into a peaceful and comfortable co-existence, living in harmony as domestic partners. 

One day, right as Kara is in the middle of a voice chat with Alex regarding her wife (”She smiled at me five times this morning!!!”) a stray meteor smashes into their ship. 

Thanks to high end human and Kryptonian technology, the shields hold, though some damage is done to the ship. Lights and auxiliary programs automatically shut off since they’re being rerouted to critical systems. 

The wives are in sync, only needing a glance at each other before Lena immediately begins running diagnostics in the cockpit and Kara begins delegating the repair bots. Their silent teamwork is flawless and they’re quickly back on the road to recovery, though it’ll still take nearly half a day for repairs to finish.

They both agree to cut down on that time by turning off literally anything they don’t need… which involves their tablets. And so Kara finds herself sitting in darkness for about 6 hours with absolutely _nothing_ to do. So she decides to find her wife.

Lena is sitting by a window, illuminated by the light of distant galaxies. She’s really pretty, Kara notes for the nth time, and she quietly takes a seat next to her. And then they start to talk. They talk about the beauty and vastness of space, the leagues between Krypton and Earth, the differences in their culture, and so on. One topic leads to another and Kara is sure Lena has never talked this much, but she never wants her to stop. 

Halfway into a really bad pun courtesy of Kara, the lights go back on, indicating the return of their full systems. Neither ~~useless lesbian~~ wife notices though, and they keep chatting until it’s time to eat dinner.

For the first time, they sit at the dining table together, and from then on, they both start to fall in love. 

By the time they reach the Fandomite planet, they’re both incredibly gay and acting like super sappy newlyweds. The Fandomites actually have a long distance teleporter that they help calibrate, and so they’re back on the Lunar base in a matter of days. 

Neither is really sure what to do though, as they never discussed their plans for after this mission. They’re still technically married too, and there’s the issue of which planet they should stay on should they keep this arrangement.

Kara actually spent the night before worrying her hair off about whether or not Lena would want to stay married to her. After all, this was all some bizarre arrangement courtesy of the Fandomites. However, she’s not so worried when Lena sticks to her side as they step off their ship. In a blaze of courage, she takes Lena’s hand and when Lena squeezes back, Kara is no longer worried about what the future holds.

Indeed, they’re basically kicked back into space by Alex, who says “you two are acting like lovesick puppies and it’s disgusting” on the one day they’re apart, visiting their hometowns. This time though, they get to bring their friends as they fully explore the stars and worlds they passed on the way to the Fandomites.

They also use this chance to set up Brainy and Nia, but that’s a story for another time.


	8. The Big Damn Kiss + Flirting Under Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is also a Dragon Age: Inquisition AU just for fun.

The setting is basically Kara is a warrior (champion) and she somehow got caught up in an explosion that murdered thousands including the Divine? And then her hand now glows?? And she can close rifts that demons pour out of??? And somehow she’s now responsible for saving the world???? Okay, maybe not the life plan she envisioned, but hey, it could be worse. Like she could be, I dunno, _dead_ or something.

Either way, it’s not actually a bad deal despite the immense burden placed upon her shoulders. She’s met incredible friends along the way, steadfast allies that have become her inner circle.

To start with, there’s Alex, the templar warrior that originally interrogated her and borderline threatened to cut off every single one of her fingers when she said she had no idea what happened in that explosion. Alex has… significantly mellowed out by now. (Translation: she’s still a supreme badass but they’re practically sisters now so Alex’s badassery is directed at their foes instead of at Kara.)

There’s also Sam, the reaver warrior they picked up along the way. They didn’t realize she was a dragon reaver at first and thought she was just a really epic Team Mom that is really good at chopping demons up… and then some dumb rogue tried to threaten her daughter Ruby and Sam tore him in two. Literally.

And of course, there’s Winn, the artificer rogue with his funky crossbow that Alex brought (read: forced) along on their adventures. At first, he is reluctant to be a part of this ragtag team of misfits, but he never actually ditches them and soon becomes their resident Nerdy Little Brother. 

He’s pretty good friends with Querl Dox, the apostate mage. At first, Brainy seems rather shady for his complete lack of allegiance to anything beyond the science of rifts and magic, but it turns out he’s just a nerd as opposed to being some deceptive asshole Humpty Dumpty looking elf. ANYWAYS, spending time with Kara and co. is actually rather therapeutic and wholesome, and Brainy learns that he has a family instead of staying in his head all day.

Kara lowkey thinks he has a thing going on with Nia Nal, the Circle mage they rescued early on. She’s a sweetheart, honestly, but incredibly powerful in magic. She’s wary of Alex’s templar-ness at first, but she’s even more scared of herself. She soon finds a mentor in Walking Human Tank Kara though, and Brainy teaches her new ways to handle her magic. Now, Nia is an invaluable part of their group. 

Their last mage is from Tevinter, a defector from an empire of decadence and cruelty. Kara didn’t expect to find an ally from there, yet this mage showed up out of the blue, asking for Kara to trust her, and warning her of a Tevinter plot against the Inquisition. It was a bit of a gamble, but Kara made a leap of faith, and that is how she comes to fight alongside Lena Luthor. 

Not many were willing to trust Lena at first (”A _Vint_ , really?” their commander James had asked, a clear sign of the world’s ire towards the nation of blood mages and slavery), but Kara took that chance and continues to take it. She had been initially won over by Lena’s impassioned plea for help, not to mention the sheer determination and audacity of what she was doing (if she wasn’t actually a traitor and all) in spite of impossible odds. Lena slowly captures the rest of Kara’s heart as the weeks pass, constantly defending their allies in battles, taking the time to help medics when they weren’t fighting, tending to the herbal gardens in her private time, and becoming Kara’s own personal confidant and friend. 

~~Lena’s also drop dead gorgeous, but that’s a given when you’re Lena Luthor.~~

In short, Kara easily falls in love with Lena. But she has no idea what to do about it.

Her first attempt at courting/wooing/charming Lena involves a serenade. She invites Lena to Skyhold’s tavern, where Jack Spheer has agreed to play a song while she sings. Except somehow, rather than it being some romantic confession, the rest of the Inquisition took that to mean “karaoke night!!!!” and Kara’s romantic crooning is lost in the ruckus that follows.

Her second attempt involves spamming Lena with presents. From new staves and armor to necklaces and trinkets to rare food and drinks, she tries giving Lena whatever brings a smile to the mage. She’s actually quite successful, but perhaps her romantic intent is diluted by the entirely platonically gifts she sends her other friends. Kara really adores her entire party, okay? She can’t help it. 

But she _adores_ Lena in a completely different way. So this time, she tries a more subtle message of sending her a single, solitary rose. 

And Lena says nothing.

Kara’s sure Lena received it, for she asks (read: nags) Sam about it and Sam assures her that Lena saw it. “She cradled it. I think she even _kissed_ it,” Sam says patiently, trying not to roll her eyes at Kara’s puppy face. 

Except Lena says nothing aside from a thank you????? So Kara is back to square one.

(Meanwhile, in Skyhold’s library, Lena tends to the rose by her window, placing a spell on it that’ll make it last forever. At the same time, she sighs, “It was so nice of Kara to give me this rose as a sign of our friendship.” because she’s quite useless in sapphic matters.)

So Kara finally resorts to blatant flirting. 

It starts unintentionally, actually.

Her entire squad is under attack by two high dragons all at once in a world where even seeing one would be a big deal. Her party is appropriately trying not to freak out, some (Alex) doing better than others (Winn). Fortunately her whole crew is with her today, so they split up into two groups to tackle their foes.

Kara is on the front lines, absorbing and deflecting damage like she was born to do so. She dodges a particularly nasty claw aimed at her head, and the very next second, that same claw explodes in a burst of fire, sending the dragon reeling.

Kara glances behind her to see Lena, smoke still trailing from her hand. Lena smirks.

“That’s hot…” Kara says before she can stop herself.

“… Excuse me?”

“I meant your spell!” Kara clarifies. But then a Bright Idea pops into her head and Kara is all about striking the metal when it’s hot (and she can’t always control her mouth) so she adds, “And you. You’re hot.”

Lena’s clearly thrown off by that, but before Kara can fully appreciate Lena’s bewildered expression, the dragon makes an attempt to challenge Lena for the title of Hottest In Battle.

Kara is surrounded by flames, but her guard holds, and Lena soon covers her with an additional wall of ice.

“You’re really _cool_ , did anyone ever tell you that?” 

“Are you just going sit there and tell me puns???”

Kara laughs, but not before she drives her greatsword into the dragon’s foot. That really pisses it off and it swings its tail around at her, but Walking Fortress Kara endures it easily and taunts the dragon, “You know Lena is stronger than you? She could probably kick your butt in her sleep!”

“I’d really rather not,” Lena snaps, but Kara can hear the smile in her voice. “What are you _doing,_ Kara?”

“I’m flirting with you!” Kara yells back as she avoids a chomp.   
  
“Puns are not good flirting!”

“Children, you two can work out proper flirting later,” Sam points out as she proceeds to begin tearing into the dragon. 

Some singed hair, explosions, screaming (courtesy of Winn), and more bad puns later, Kara stands panting by the carcasses of their two defeated foes. She leans on her sword as Lena approaches her. 

Kara’s expecting to get scolded for her Top Tier Humor, but Lena quietly takes her hand.

“Your flirting… and the rose you sent me… Are your intentions perhaps… romantic?”

There’s a dull thud behind them (it’s Alex facepalming really hard), but Kara understands Lena’s question. Despite her beauty, grace, and fantastic character, Lena isn’t exactly the best at self confidence (living with a neglectful/abusive family does that to people) so Kara answers her in the most obvious way possible.

Right then and there, framed by two dragon skulls, Kara kisses Lena. 

And then they save the world. Together. 


	9. Love Confession + Heroic Sacrifice

So basically Kara is Lena’s esteemed knight, her one true defender, her one true protector, and also her one true love. Lady Lena never actually says that though, because Useless Lesbian. Also it’s just generally not exactly a good idea to marry between classes because Olde Fashioned Times be like that. 

Anyways, Kara is Lena’s knight, and these two were basically raised together. They’re kind of the spare tires of their families, with Lena being second born and a female, and with Kara being… you guessed it, second born and a female. The female part isn’t as big of a deal for Kara, as her adoptive older sibling Alex has already earned renowned as a legendary female squire. 

Still, Kara isn’t exactly set to be the heir of the Danvers household, so she’s shipped off to the Luthor castle where she’s assigned to accompany little Lady Lena. They’re still smol at this point, so Kara is far from knighthood, but she takes her duties extremely seriously. The local noble punks– I mean kids that try to pick on Lena easily get their butts kicked, and Kara even rebuilds a wooden gate because it  _inconvenienced_  Lena when it refused to open properly the other day.

Lena isn’t used to having such a loyal companion. At first she just kinda tolerates Kara’s presence, going about her own day and hardly speaking a word to her. Over time though, Kara’s enthusiasm and exuberance rubs off on her, and she soon finds herself often making excuses to stop by Kara’s favorite haunts “just because”. (She just really likes to see Kara get all excited whenever they visit the blacksmith or whenever they stop by Alex’s horse.)

Long story short, they’re childhood friends that grow up together and lowkey are in love with each other once they’re old enough to actually fall in love.

And then, of course, Lex screws things up. 

Apparently, he had been plotting treason and regicide, some convoluted conspiracy that would end in the murder of King J’onnz. He was going to frame Sir Kal for it too, but Lady Lois Lane intervenes and everything is exposed.

The Luthor household almost instantly falls into ruins, their names shamed and shunned. The Knights of the Square Table are _pissed_ to say the least, enraged by this betrayal and how Lex tried to ruin their most celebrated member and murder their king. They take to the fields and surround the castle, demanding Lex’s head, but Lex, being a stubborn asshat, refuses to surrender.

“We have to go,” Kara insists to Lena after speaking to her cousin. “The Knights aren’t listening to Kal. They’ll stop at nothing to make sure Lex is dead.”

And so Lena leaves her life behind and flees under Kara’s protection.

The siege lasts a month before a desperate servant stabs Lex in the back and gives the Knights what they want. 

Over the next year, Lena learns to shed the title of “Lady” and has become a rather respectable bowman (bowwoman??). She and Kara have taken to adventuring all over the place, helping those in need, and she’s never felt more alive. 

And then an official missive arrives from King J’onn.

Barbarians are ravaging the former lands of the Luthors, and his armies are busy fighting Daxamites so he can’t afford to send them there. _People are hurting out there_ , he writes. _They need your help, Lady Luthor._

So Lena is faced with a choice: protect the peasants and commoners and _maybe_ restore her family name by putting her life on the line, or run away and just continue an idyllic life of roaming around with no specific goal in mind.

That’s not really a choice to Lena, so she tells Kara, “I am grateful that you have always been by my side, but I cannot ask you to fight a war. Thank you for always being my friend.”

She does the Noble thing and turns her horse around, ready to leave Kara behind with tears in her eyes. And then Kara rides up next to her with a smile.

“You don’t have to _ask_ me to,” Kara says. “War or not, I’ll always protect you.”

Unfortunately, fighting Random Bandit Mooks and fighting Vengeful Barbarian Invaders is not the same thing, and it’s grueling. They’re more organized than everyone thought, and King J’onn even pulls Alex from the Daxam front lines to assist them. After months of chipping away at the horde, they make progress.

Finally, they pin down the enemy leader, Morgan Edge, some old, disgraced knight. He’s still a formidable fighter though, and he proves too strong for Lena’s regular troops, so she prepares to snipe him with superior archery instead.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Edge’s archer take aim at her. But it’s okay if the Luthor bloodline ends here, she thinks, for killing Edge will finally redeem their name.

She fires.

He falls.

And Kara takes the arrow for Lena. 

She tumbles off Krypto in a heap of blood and pain, and Lena tries not to scream. Elsewhere, Alex directs the final push, but Lena is more concerned with Kara.

“I told you I’ll always protect you,” Kara coughs. “And… before I go… I just want you to know… that I lo–”

“No,” Lena orders. “You are not allowed to tell me that until we’re both out of danger, safe and _alive_. You hear me?”

Maybe it’s the fierceness and desperation in Lena’s eyes or the fact that Kara has never been able to disobey her lady, but she somehow manages to keep breathing just a bit longer. And a bit longer. And a bit longer than that.

It takes a whole year to finish off the remnants of the barbarians, and then yet another two to help King J’onn defeat the Daxamites. By then, Lena has more than redeemed her family name, and so she’s elevated back to her prior status as a noble. Her estate lands are reclaimed, and so she finally returns home for good. 

Kara knocks on her door the first night she’s back home.

“We’re finally safe now,” she says. “And I’m pretty sure I’m alive so…”

Lena’s Knight of the Square Table drops down on a knee.

“Lena Luthor, I love you. Will you marry me?”

And then they get married and live happily ever after. The end.


	10. Bookshop AU + Coming Out Fic

So basically Kara is attending National City Uni, studying communications or something else journalism related. Top tier student, also participates in sports, generally all around well liked by the rest of the student population. She likes to hang around the bookshop where her sister works.

Alex is a senior criminal justice student, though she works part time at M’gann’s bookstore. It’s just off the NCU campus though it doesn’t sell textbooks, which means most of the student populace don’t bother visiting. There are plenty of varied genres, but more importantly, it has a fairly large LGBT literature section. 

Our protagonist stops by that part of the store every now and then, since she herself falls on the rainbow spectrum. In general, she likes to hang around M’gann’s shop either to chill with Alex when there aren’t customers, chat with M’gann when she’s actually around, or just to browse practically every genre available. Kara likes to explore, and she figures she’ll be able to find something of interest anywhere. 

And that’s how she first meets the Love of Her Life.

It’s less of an actual meeting and more of a “Kara drops her book on her foot when she sees the pretty girl on the other side of the shelf” kind of deal. Pretty Girl is too engrossed in whatever she’s reading since she doesn’t even lift her head in reaction to Kara’s muffled yelp, but Kara is okay with that. It’s lowkey creepy, but Kara easily ignores her throbbing toe by fully appreciating how fine the woman’s jawline is, the deep intelligence in her green eyes, the concentration focused on her features… 

Kara nearly drops her book again when Alex says “What are you staring at?” very loudly right next to her ear, and by the time she’s chased her sister away, the Pretty Girl is gone.

Kara starts noticing her around campus after that. Either she was blind and never saw her before, or Pretty Girl is new to the school… either way, Kara has been Enlightened to the existence of this paragon of beauty and grace, and her eyes constantly pick out Pretty Girl nearly every day of the week. She’s always alone, Kara notes sadly, but Kara doesn’t quite have the courage to approach her. It’s hard to when Pretty Girl seems to radiate ice. Apparently the local frat boy Mark or Mick or something got a taste of just how cold Pretty Girl could be when he supposedly cornered her in a classroom and came running out of the building with tears streaming down his face. Kara’s not sure how true that tale is.

Anyways, she spends weeks visually stalking Pretty Girl. It’s not intentional, Kara swears, but they happen to hang around the same areas. She sees her on the other side of the giant tree she and Nia like to hang out under, she sees her at the small park where she meets up with Brainy, she sees her near the outdoor field where she plays basketball with Sam, she sees her at the parking lot when she carpools with Clark, etc.

She finally actually _meets_ Pretty Girl back in M’gann’s bookstore. 

It’s less of an actual meeting and more of a “Kara actually crashes into Pretty Girl because Kara is Gay and was thinking about Pretty Girl and didn’t realize where she was going” kind of thing. Fortunately, she wasn’t moving all that fast, so a quick apology later and both of them are steady on their feet.

“Sorry about that again,” Kara says. “I’m Kara Danvers, NCU student. I think I’ve seen you on campus?”

“Probably,” Pretty Girl murmurs. She shifts from one foot to the other as she clutches her selection to her chest, and her smile seems kind of forced, maybe..? “I’m… I’m Lena.”

Kara Sunshine Danvers does her best to be friendly, as always. “Hi, Lena! It’s nice to meet you. What are you looking for today? My sister works here; I can probably help you out too.”

And that’s when she begins figuring out why Lena looks like she’s just about ready to bolt. When Kara looks up to see what section they’re standing in, she realizes it’s the LGBT department.

As mentioned, Kara is as straight as rainbow and Alex is hella gay as well, and her adoptive parents are more than accepting of the both of them. The world is unfortunately filled with plenty of bigots though, and it’s all too easy to see the fear in Lena’s eyes as she seems to realize what Kara has noticed. 

“Oh! Ha ha! What a coincidence!” Kara quickly says. “I was looking for some books here too! Ha ha ha…”

She tries to show her solidarity by grabbing as many books as she can, and she even puts on her most welcoming, accommodating smile. She doesn’t want to force her presence on Lena though, so she quickly begins shuffling backwards, bumping into a couple shelves on her way towards the counter.

“Are you trying to tell me something?” Alex asks. 

It’s then that Kara realizes the literature she grabbed is… well, smut. It’s smutty literature, and Alex doesn’t let her live that one down for months. And that’s how Kara winds up with a very teenage-boy-like stash of smut under her bed. 

It’s worth it though, when Kara runs into Lena again just a few days later. She’s standing on a stool, restocking the science reference section for M’gann (she’ll be paid in takeout later) when she hears a quiet but clear “excuse me.”

“Can you hand me that book by Dr. Reed that’s right next to your hand?” Lena says. She doesn’t look as flighty today, and she actually has a small smile on her face.

Kara, ever the gay– I mean good samaritan, of course lends her assistance, and when Lena needs help reaching another book placed out of her shorter reach, Kara is more than glad to keep helping. Hearing Lena’s voice and seeing her face up close is more than ample a reward, and Kara is elated when Lena leaves the bookstore with a “see you again.”

The bookstore basically turns into their unofficial meeting place after that. Kara gets to use the shop as a library thanks to her friendship with M’gann, so she’s impressed with how Lena always, _always_ purchases something on every visit. Either she’s really rich, has a really generous scholarship, or something, Alex theorizes. 

Either way, she and Kara become friends (where one (both) is crushing on the other) and they start hanging out at school too. They never bring up their run in at Rainbow Road though, and Kara finds out why when she finds out who exactly Lena is.

Lillian Luthor, one of NCU’s sponsors, shows up on campus for some Rich People Event, and the administration of the school nearly falls over itself in its haste to welcome her. They’re literally putting down red carpet, a fact that Kara finds hilarious until her voice dies in her throat.

Because walking slightly behind Lillian Luthor is none other than Lena. Lena _Luthor_ , it turns out. Apparently Lena had been rather good at hiding this fact until this moment, and the school is abuzz with the news in a matter of hours.

Cue gold diggers flocking around Lena the next day, everyone clamoring to be her best friend. One of her _actual_ best friends, Sam Arias has a very impressive Disapproving Mother glare that sends most of those cockroaches scurrying away, but some persistent jerks keep hanging around and Lena decides to lay low for a while. 

That’s where Kara finds her, sitting on the floor of the LGBT section. For some reason, she’s on the verge of tears.

“I’m gay,” Lena suddenly blurts out. Before Kara can do her best to act as the Surprised But Very Accepting Best Bud, Lena continues, “She– My mom, she doesn’t approve. She hates me. She’ll hate me even more if she finds out.”

Kara kinda wants to get bitten by a radioactive spider or anything that’ll give her super strength so she can punch the lights out of Lillian Luthor. That’s not an option though, so she sits down next to Lena, puts her arm around her, and lets her friend cry on her shoulder.

“You’re the first person I’ve ever come out to,” Lena says a tissue box later. “Thank you for being here.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Kara assures her.

They stop being friends just a week later, when Kara finally gets the courage to ask Lena out. As girlfriends, Kara sees more and more sides of Lena, and she comes to understand just how loathsome Lillian is and how even a few hours in her presence can leave Lena so emotionally shaken and fragile. 

Hanging out with Kara’s group of pals is _so_ much better, and Lena’s non-family contact list of two quickly expands when she’s officially introduced to the “Superfriends.” Jeremiah and Eliza also basically adopt her as soon as she sets foot inside the Danvers household for the first time. 

Long story short, Lena finds what love is and finds people willing to love her as she is. She finds the strength to stand up to her mother, and she renounces her share of the family business as soon as she graduates. Instead, she sets up her own corporation with Sam and Brainy’s help and slowly but surely, their company grows to something that eventually goes down in history as a force for good.

Kara herself becomes a world renowned reporter, ready to find and highlight the injustices of the world while also seeking out the good side of humanity. 

They get married at some point, get a dog named Krypto, and they live happily ever after.


	11. Soulmate AU + Twenty Four Hours to Live

When Kara is told she has 50 days to live thanks to some bullshit rare disease, she’s not happy about it. Like fifty days to live when you’re relatively young, healthy, with dreams and aspirations? All because life is like “haha nah” for some absurd reason and tells her blood to stop flowing properly?? It’s some real nonsense and Kara spends (wastes?) a good chunk of those fifty days seething in anger, despair, grief, and basically the entire spectrum of negative emotions before she is able to accept her fate.

It’s still bullshit, but what can you do about an incurable disease?

People have called it the Forsaken Sickness due to some eons old superstition where you’ll contract FS if you don’t find your soulmate in time. It’s never been able to be scientifically proven, for nobody knows what even makes two people soulmates out of a sea of billions. FS has been known to afflict people of all ages as well, from young, innocent children to middle-aged folks. It’s seemingly random, and Kara is one of the unlucky few. 

She gets 50 days as opposed to a couple and then keeling over on the spot thanks to a new technological breakthrough. A device is implanted into her left arm with tubes feeding into her bloodstream, keeping her alive until even science can’t hold back the whims of time and the device will no longer work. It even has a handy dandy timer, ticking down to her “expiration date”, as Kara refers to it jokingly. 

Kara spends a couple weeks traveling the world with her sister, Alex, and a couple other friends. It’s a journey of memories and of many, many tears (how can you truly enjoy a Hawaiian sunrise when there’s no _color_ and you know the only reason you’re seeing it is because you’re _dying_?), but Kara is mostly content (as content as she could be considering the circumstances). She spends her second to last day with Alex and Eliza and her new puppy Krypto, and she decides to spend her last day on her own. 

Kara has always liked National City. It’s bustling, filled with life, but there’s plenty of nature dispersed around the city in between all the manmade constructs lining the streets. Catco is based here, Kara’s once upon a dream workplace, and so is L Corp, a technological behemoth paving the way towards the future. There’s also plenty of smaller businesses, and she’s a regular at one of the more popular sandwich joints where the owner gives her a free meal for her to enjoy as she people-watches in the nearby park. 

It’s oddly peaceful, Kara thinks, to be able to sit here and just _be_ even as she only has fourteen hours left on the clock. 

There’s not a lot of people today, probably because it’s a Tuesday morning and most people are either stuck in traffic or already trapped at their jobs. A couple passes by with a dog (Krypto’s cuter) and Kara waves at a little kid hopping next to their mom. A sharp dressed businesswoman is just about to walk by Kara when by some chance, their eyes meet.

And then there’s an explosion of color. 

The world is suddenly filled with blues and reds and greens and yellows and oranges and other hues that Kara can’t put a name to, but having her eyes finally be awakened to the true spectrum of life is secondary to the woman standing before her. They’re both transfixed, Kara staring at her soulmate in wonder and her soulmate staring back with complete awe. 

For the first time in a while (she usually just avoids thinking about it) Kara _hates_ the hand she’s been given.

The woman introduces herself as Lena, a young scientist.

Kara’s already enamored when she asks what her soulmate works on.

“Biomechanical engineering,” Lena says, “Y’know, the cure to cancer and all that.”

“I admire that,” Kara says in response to the faint modesty she detects in Lena’s voice. “I really do.”

They spend the rest of the morning chatting about everything and nothing in the park. If Lena has other obligations, she doesn’t bring them up, and Kara is more than content to be in her presence. When the device on her arm beeps, however, Kara is reminded of her fate.

She surreptitiously pulls up her sleeve to glance at the display. It has no color, Kara realizes. Maybe designed by someone who didn’t meet their soulmate yet. 

 _12 HRS_ flashes up at her in monochrome, almost like a taunt.

A part of her wants to send Lena away, maybe a white lie about “see you later!” or something. After all, they’re still technically strangers at this point, and most people wouldn’t miss a dead stranger too much.

Kara is sure she’ll miss Lena though, even when she’s dead. It’s a funny notion, thinking about her existence or lack thereof in the afterlife, but the fact of the matter is that she’d hate to be apart from Lena right now. It’s almost like her soul craves her soulmate, and so Kara decides to be selfish for once.

“Hey, do you want to head over to National Theme Park?” she blurts out. It’s the first place she can think of (one of the places she’s never been, will never get to go to) and it’s probably not the best suggestion considering how Lena is dressed in heels, a skirt, and generally not equipped for theme park-ing. 

Maybe her desperation is obvious on her face or Lena is a mind reader or something, for the businesswoman/scientist actually agrees. And so the two soulmates head on over for hours of screaming, yelling, adrenaline, and fun. Kara never divulges the secret ticking on her arm, nor does Lena reveal too much about herself (which is fair because soulmates or not, they _just_ met), but through the laughter and thrills, Kara feels much closer to her companion.

Kara finally comes clean on the ferris wheel after the sun has set.

She pulls up her sleeves and shows the timer that’s now reading 5:21 with the seconds flying by.

“I have Forsaken Sickness,” Kara states. She’s not sure she has the strength to sugarcoat it. “Today is–  _was_ my last day. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It’s completely selfish of me but I just… I just wanted to spend time with you.”

“It’s okay,” Lena says softly, and Kara wants to cry because it’s _not_. 

“Maybe I should have hung out in that park more often,” Kara says bitterly. “Then we could have met earlier or something and…”

When Kara’s voice is choked off by growing tears, Lena quietly gets up and sits down next to Kara, taking her hand.

“Sorry,” Kara apologizes again. “I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Lena says, though her voice is a little hoarse. “I’m glad we finally got to meet. Thank you for spending your time with me.”

“We just _met_ ,” Kara says, cursing the stars. “We finally met and it’s supposed to be the beginning, but now it’s the end and I just…”

There’s nothing anyone could possibly do to salvage this situation, so time flies by as Kara mourns what could have been, crying as Lena holds her. Her soulmate must have said something to the park staff, for they’re never ejected from the ferris wheel. They ride it around and around and around again, almost in a little world of their own that Kara wishes would last forever.

When it’s time to go, Kara invites Lena to Alex’s clinic.

“My sister’s a doctor,” she says. “She says she has some new prototype medicine or whatever that she can use for one last try, so I’ll be heading over to her place and she’ll… take care of me. Will you… Will you come with me?”

“Of course.”

Maybe in another life, Kara would have met Lena and they would have years and years to spend, to fall in love, to create a future together. While Kara appreciates Lena putting her entire schedule on hold somehow just to be with her for the majority of the day, mere hours is nowhere near _enough._ But it’s what they have, what they had, and what Kara has to take with her on her last journey.

Lena never leaves her side, not as Kara lays down on the bed Alex prepared. She holds Kara’s hand tightly, holding back her own tears as her soulmate whispers a goodbye. Kara thinks _I love you_ and says _thank you,_ and with her soulmate and her sister by her side, she falls asleep.

…

Kara wakes to an incessant, _annoying_ beeping. 

It doesn’t go away, even as Kara tries to ignore it, and she finally forces her eyes open only to get blinded by the lights above her. She groans, squinting, and hears a gasp.

An angel shows up at her side, and it takes Kara a good five minutes to realize it’s Lena.

So it turns out that it’s quite handy to have your soulmate be Lena Freakin’ Luthor, the CEO of L-Corp and a genius scientist. It was Lena who had designed the 50 Day device, prolonging Kara’s life, and it was Lena who worked with Alex to bring (smuggle, Alex hints) Kara’s sleeping body into L-Corp. They apparently hooked Kara up to an even more brand new, revolutionary prototype machine, one that takes up an entire room, but it essentially keeps Kara in stasis until they find an honest to god cure for Forsaken Sickness.

So it’s not the cure for cancer, but close enough. 

(L-Corp does defeat cancer years later.)

Months of rehab later (Lena can be surprisingly naggy when it comes to telling Kara “you need to rest” because Kara is stubborn about getting out ASAP but Lena is apparently even _more_ stubborn), Kara finally gets to walk out of L-Corp’s hospital with her girlfriend by her side. Krypto greets her, nearly knocking her over since he’s grown to roughly the size of the wolf in the five years that Kara was asleep.

Kara and Lena immediately make their way to the park where they first met for a picnic.

“To us!” Kara declares, saluting Lena with her bottle of apple juice. “To us, to our dreams, and to our future.”

“To us,” Lena agrees. “To us and our new beginning.”


	12. Interrupted Declaration of Love + Twenty Four Hours to Live

Gonna be some sci-fi and shameless Mass Effect Andromeda name borrowing here. 

Anyways, Kara is wandering around the wastelands of Eos when Alex calls and says she has twenty four hours left. Kara, being Kara, wants to go out with a bang. So she summons her crew, finding as many people as she can in whatever time she has left to go fight the biggest, baddest monsters they can get their hands on.

Unfortunately, the person she wants to see the most can’t be found. Kara first met Lena on the icy territories of Voeld, where a lone sentinel was battling an entire horde of enemy kett solo for the sake of a poor defenseless village nearby. The odds weren’t great, but Lena was somehow holding her own as Kara swooped in, guns blazing, and the squads of enemy kett are soon scrambling back to their bases.

“Not bad,” Lena says when she and Kara are safe in a stronghold, out of the biting cold. “I owe you one.”

Now, Kara has plenty of pals that would jump to protect her, but there’s something about the lilt of Lena’s voice that Kara is immediately drawn to, so she calls in a favor that she absolutely does not need to call in just so she can meet Lena again.

The two become fast friends, traveling from planet to planet on missions for those in need, exploring foreign frontiers that no human has ever touched, pushing the boundaries of science, and falling in love.

Well, Kara is. She’s not so sure about her somewhat enigmatic companion, but Lena does seem to enjoy spending time together and even laughs at her lamest jokes, so that has to count for something, right?

It’s on Havarl, a rich, foliage-dense habitat, where Kara gains the bright idea of maybe confessing to Lena. As she hands her a bright, eye-searing, neon colored flower, however, Lena suddenly says she has to go ( “I’m really sorry bit it’s an emergency.”) and disappears back to her spaceship.

They don’t talk about it the next time they meet.

She sees Lena less and less as the days pass, her friend seemingly busy with… something. Kara tries not to overthink it all. She tries to trust her friend, believing that Lena isn’t lying just for the sake of avoiding her or something. It’s hard though, especially when Lena is absent for an entire week at some point.

As if the odds are stacked against her, Kara manages to finally track down Lena when she only has literally minutes left. 

“I was looking _everywhere_ for you,” Kara says hastily as soon as she lands next to Lena. They’re back on Voeld of all places, and it’s as though they’ve come full circle. “Listen, I don’t have much time left–”

“Are you okay?” Lena interrupts, and normally Kara would appreciate the genuine care she hears in Lena’s voice, but now isn’t the time.

“I don’t have much time left,” Kara repeats. “But I need you to know that I love–”

And then her vision cuts off. 

It flickers for an instant, and Kara maybe thinks Lena’s calling her name, but then she’s treated to an image of herself, falling to the snow-covered ground.

Then her screen goes blank again before displaying SUBSCRIPTION EXPIRED. RENEW? [Y/N?] in bright red letters.

Kara curses before taking her headset off. Okay, so maybe getting a brand new doggo with killer puppy eyes wasn’t the most financially wise decision she’s made in a while, but who can blame her when Krypto is a big ball of cute? Unfortunately, dog food isn’t cheap (and Kara only gets the best for her boy) and Kara’s paycheck isn’t due for another two weeks. 

And so Kara is unable to renew her Effect of Mass subscription, didn’t finish her confession, and never even got Lena’s contact info, let alone her last name so Kara could Facebook stalk– I mean look up her online friend. 

It sucks, and Kara’s of half a mind to beg Alex for a loan, but considering how Alex has already spent a lot of money on chew toys for Krypto, it’s probably not fair. Maybe Clark can lend a hand? But before Kara decides, Cat Grant tells her to head to the newest company in town to interview the boss.

 _Lena Luthor_ , the business card reads, and Kara snorts. Would be hilarious if her Lena was some big shot up and coming CEO, but what are the chances?

Turns out the chances are 100% as Kara immediately recognizes Lena’s voice as soon as she steps into her friend’s office.

“What were you saying before you got booted from the system yesterday?” Lena asks as soon as they’re finally over the thrill of “OH MY GOD IT’S YOU???”

“Uh… n– nothing!” Kara stammers. “I was just saying that I uh… I lo– like you. I like you a lot, Lena. Would you go out with me?”

Lena says nothing but her eyes narrow, and Kara is pretty sure she’s about to die on the spot. Would have been nice to die in an actual Blizzard on Voeld, where nobody could find her shameful body ever again.

“I’m pretty sure you didn’t say ‘like,’” Lena accuses, and Kara just blinks in confusion. 

Lena replays a recording, where Kara hears her own digital voice saying the L word.

“Why do you have that!?”

“For… For personal reasons,” Lena says, and she’s blushing suspiciously. But Lena Luthor is smart in the art of subterfuge and distraction, so she says, “I would be honored to go out with you.”

And then Kara is over the moon and they go on many gay dates and Lena gifts Kara a new subscription and they go on gay video game adventures together and they get married and live happily ever after. 


	13. I Didn't Mean to Turn You On + Hair Brushing/Braiding

So as well all know, Sam is a great friend, particularly of the Mom Friend type. She suggests to the ever busy Lena Luthor that perhaps Lena should find herself some companionship outside of herself and Ruby. Like someone Lena can relax around, someone to help her through the hard days, someone to lean on when she wants to, you know? 

Like a girlfriend, basically.

Except Lena “Useless Lesbian” Luthor takes that to mean Sam thinks she should find a personal assistant. 

(”Is Auntie Lena… okay?”

“No. No, she is not.”)

So when Sam walks in on Lena giggling next to a kinda cute, nerdy looking blonde, Sam’s Prying Mom instincts are on high alert… until Lena introduces her as Kara Danvers, her new assistant. 

It’s not hard to see why Lena picks Kara out of hundreds of hopefuls (some thirstier than others). Kara is sharp, eager, attentive, and, above all, _nice_. When she’s not assisting Lena in her office, she’s out and about helping Sam, Jess, and their other coworkers with miscellaneous tasks. She also constantly sports a smile on her face, though Sam greatly approves the one time Kara practically death glares a slimy businessman trying to cheat their boss. 

That said, after a while, Sam almost wonders if “assistant” has a new meaning or something because Kara and Lena are often very physically close and _intimate_. A brush of the hands here, a gentle squeeze of the shoulder there… those moments are even accentuated with gentle gazes and soft smiles that make Sam want to take her coffee black to balance out how _sweet_ it all is.

Basically, they’re Gay as Hell™. 

But Lena insists that they’re just boss and employee, much to Sam’s bewilderment. Even when Sam pulls the “just between us, nobody needs to know” card, Lena’s statement doesn’t change. When Sam pulls out the alcohol though… that’s when Lena confesses that she _likes_ Kara. Ohoho.

Sam is doubly excited when Alex Danvers shows up in L Corp demanding to talk to Lena’s right hand woman AKA Sam. According to her, Kara has been waxing poetic about Lena and how pretty, kind, smart, beautiful, generous, etc. for _weeks_. And yet Kara says they’re just friends? What???

Sam is glad that somebody finally understands the woes of dealing with idiotic, oblivious gays. Anyways, they try to set them up at a romantic dinner for two and… it doesn’t work. Both of them come out singing sonnets about the glory of friendship and how amazing the other person is, and Alex looks just about ready to strangle someone. So is Ruby when Sam tells her the news.

(”Why are Auntie Lena and Auntie Kara so… dumb?”

“Beats me.”)

Anyways, one day Sam is reading papers on Lena’s office couch while Lena relaxes in her chair and Kara massages her shoulders.

“The gala starts in thirty minutes,” Sam reminds the two since they’re prone to getting lost in their own little world.

“I can do your hair for you, if you’d like?” Kara offers, and Lena of course accepts.

Kara starts brushing Lena’s long hair with gentle strokes, occasionally massaging her scalp, and Lena closes her eyes, seemingly melting under Kara’s touch. Sam takes the chance to very casually check her phone, where Alex and Ruby and Jess are plotting ways to get Kara and Lena under mistletoe during the gala. Repeatedly. 

And then Sam hears an honest to god  _moan_.

When she looks up, Kara and Lena are basically frozen and Sam’s inner Monitoring Mom is on high alert.

And then Kara, bless her mouth, breaks the silence by saying, “I– I didn’t mean to turn you on.”

Lena is reduced to a stammering mess, and she mumbles something that Sam doesn’t catch, and it turns Kara into a blushing mess, and she says something that Sam probably doesn’t want to catch, and they’re making _eyes_ at each other now, leaning closer and closer and–

“I’m still here, you know,” Sam reminds them loudly. “Actually, I’m just gonna go.”

She basically sprints out of the room with all the class she can muster, quickly reporting to the group chat that their targets are going to be late to the gala. 

They actually don’t show up to the gala at all, and Sam gets a really big raise the next day. And then Supercorp get married and live happily ever after ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	14. Text/Letter Fic + Time Travel

Kara snorts milk out her nose when she sees a text from the number 69. Like literally the number that just texted her is 69. Sixty-nine, like the… you don’t need me to explain.

She has no idea how someone even gets that number. Can spoofing do that? Anyways, 69 just texted her a simple  _‘Hello?’_  Kara texts back a hello as well and nothing happens.

Then at 3 freakin’ AM, she gets another text.

_‘Can you read me? What date is it?’_

Kara, the good samaritan answers and even politely adds the time for clarity.

_**‘it’s march 14, 2019 and it’s THREE FREAKING TWENTY FIVE. IN THE MORNING.’** _

_‘Oh.’  
_

_‘Sorry.’  
_

_‘I didn’t mean to wake you up.’  
_

_‘I’m sorry.’  
_

_‘I’ll stop messaging.’  
_

Kara groans, but she’s glad her retinas are no longer being set on fire by her phone’s glare. She almost throws it across the room when it lights up again.

_‘Please message me back when you can. It’s important.’_

Somehow Kara manages to be charitable in the morning (also she’s lowkey curious) so she sends a  ** _‘what’s up?’_**

_‘What date and time is it?’_

That’s pretty much how all conversations with 69 start. Kara learns her name is Lena, and Lena always asks for the date and time whenever they start talking, which is pretty sporadic. Lena answers pretty randomly and Kara sometimes wonders if she even sleeps considering how some texts keep coming in at the dead of night. Lena says they’re accidents, which Kara doesn’t quite get, but apparently that’s the truth since wake up texts become rarer and rarer until they stop.

They chat about all sorts of things and it’s prooooobably dangerous to be talking with a stranger so much, but Lena never asks for any identifying info beyond Kara’s name and, as always, the date and time. What she seems to enjoy talking about the most is Kara’s day to day life, random news blurbs, and just usual ongoings. 

Kara’s aware that it’s dangerous to trust a faceless nobody, but it’s so easy to trust Lena. Lena’s attentive and curious, and she listens to all of Kara’s ramblings and actually responds to even the most mundane things. It’s nice having someone like that, a _friend_ who seems curious, kind, sincere, witty, and intelligent all in one go. Lena’s not so good with casual lingo and memes, but hey, nobody’s perfect. 

**_‘where are you from?’_** Kara dares to ask one day.

_‘The Southern Coalition of California.’_

_**‘you can just say socal haha’** _

_‘Yes, that.’_

That’s the first sign that Lena isn’t… _normal_ , though Kara doesn’t realize it until much later.

_‘Do you believe in time travel?’_

_**‘you mean like going back in time and punching hitler in the face??’  
** _

_‘Something like that.’  
_

_**‘I wish it was possible. Then I could save my parents.’  
** _

_‘What exact date did they pass?’  
_

_**‘November 10th, 2009.’**   
_

Kara’s not exactly sure why there’s a flickering of anticipation in her gut when she tells Lena the date. There’s no way time traveling exists, after all. It’s not like Lena’s going to zip back to that fateful highway, bring her parents out of the wreckage, and drop them on Kara’s doorstop all disoriented. Disoriented, but alive.

Lena’s silent for three whole days before she texts two words.

_‘I’m sorry.’_

The silly side of Kara that maybe humored the notion that Lena is a time traveler resurfaces on a random Tuesday weeks later.

_‘Tell Alex not to go on the I-5 freeway tomorrow morning. Do whatever it takes to stop her.’  
_

_**‘wtf… why???’  
** _

Lena refuses to say more on the topic, but then Kara sees the news the next day at 10am: a factory explosion all but destroys a portion of the freeway, the entire structure crumbling down and killing dozens. Alex would have surely been there were it not for Kara spamming her nonstop.

**_‘are you sure you’re not a time traveler???’  
_ **

_‘I wish I was.’_

And then one day, Lena sends a string of messages at 3am again.

_‘I need your exact address.’  
_

_‘This is urgent.’  
_

_‘Kara, please.’  
_

_‘I need you to trust me.’_

Kara’s brain is all ???? as she squints at the phone, but she _does_ trust Lena, and so with her sleep-addled brain, she types where she lives, rolls over, and falls back asleep.

Lena stops texting after that.

On the 24th day of expecting to be randomly murdered and/or robbed, Kara opens her apartment to find a drop dead gorgeous woman on her couch.

“I didn’t know I had a new roommate,” Kara says as she gets ready to call the police. Pretty woman or not, this situation is shady as hell. 

But then the woman says– gasps Kara name in such a way that she knows who exactly it is.

_Lena_.

It turns out that the future is an utter wasteland. Ravaged by the fury of mother nature, humanity is all but extinct, brought down by their own folly and hubris, destroyed by climate change and nuclear warfare. The Southern Coalition of California is one of the very last strongholds, and even they’re down to less than a handful of denizens trying to figure out how to survive.

Lena was the youngest of them all, but the most brilliant. Rather than try to battle the sun, play god with the last, damaged stocks of human embryos, or launch incomplete shuttles into space, Lena chose the most ambitious path of all: going back in time.

Lena facepalms when she learns her number was 69 of all things, but her messages to Kara were her first successful attempts at reaching the past. It took quite a while to calibrate while she used the data to fine-tune her time traveling machine, hence the random timing of her messages, but as the days went on, she learned more and more and was finally able to risk herself by attempting to go back in time.

She didn’t have much choice, she reveals, for the sun was due to explode any day thanks to her brother’s insane tactics, and that’s how she randomly showed up in Kara’s apartment. 

“Okay, but… why me?” Kara asks.

“I don’t know,” Lena admits. “Pure luck? Chance? Fate? Destiny, maybe.”

Lena adjusts surprisingly quickly to the present (her past). She has an incredibly sharp eye for fashion, and while her meme knowledge still needs working on, she has no trouble blending in to modern society. 

(Kara is a little horrified when Lena seems to favor _kale_ out of all foods, but she swallows any and all protests when she learns that in the future, the only options for sustenance are bland RediMeal™ A, tasteless RediMeal™ B, and the unappetizing RediMeal™ A + B.) 

Lena apologizes again for not being able to save Kara’s parents on her third night of sharing Kara’s bed. 

“It was too far back,” she murmurs. “Coming to now was already a substantial risk, but going back to 2009 was simply… impossible.”

“It’s okay,” Kara replies, taking Lena’s hand. “I have Alex, Eliza, Winn, James, Cat, J’onn… and now I have you.”

Alex doesn’t believe them at first, not even when Kara says it was Lena that saved Alex’s life all those months ago. She almost snorts wine out her nose when Kara shows her the texts, and she’s all “I told you so” with her eyes when Lena doesn’t bother buying a lotto ticket for the next grand drawing. 

(She still helps Lena set up an ID and all that stuff because she’s a Top Tier sister no matter how dumb/crazy she thinks her sibling is.)

Alex goes “hmm” a little when it turns out the jackpot was split amongst three winners. She stops her denial altogether when Lena wins the following lottery, claiming a record-setting jackpot. 

With her new funds and her brains, Lena sets up a new biotech company. Alex and Winn are hired, and with a talented newcomer named Samantha Arias, the four tackle all sorts of environmental and medical issues, focusing on combating climate change and helping those in need. Kara is no slacker either, using her position at Catco to highlight the needs of the planet and the needs of the people. 

Lena clearly has her doubts though, which she confides in Kara late at night. (She basically moved in to Kara’s place because it’s “convenient.” (And also because she’s lowkey in love with the one, sole person she could talk to when she was in the future. It’s not her fault she was connected to Kara ‘Golden Retriever of Goodness’ Danvers of all people.)) 

“What if the changes I’m making turn the future into a worse place?” she wonders. “What if _nothing_ changes and everything we’re doing is in vain?”

“We’re doing the best we can,” Kara points out. “That’s all anyone can do, really… But I’m with you. I’ll always be standing by you.”

Lena later cites Kara as a primary source of strength when asked about all her subsequent successes and breakthroughs. The two face the future with courage and determination, and their efforts are proven to be successful by a completely unexpected visitor. 

“My name is Querl Dox,” an unusual man dressed in unusual clothes says from Kara’s couch. “I am a time traveler. I’m actually your great, great, great, great, great–”

“Get on with it,” Alex growls.

“… great, great grandson.” Querl bows dramatically. “Mrs. Danvers– I mean Miss Luthor, the Time Travelers’ Alliance wishes to present you with an award.”

It turns out the TTA is capable of examining alternate realities (“They’re definitely not the _correct_ realities, for they’re far too unstable and their presence in the time-stream is shaky at best considering all the fluctuations of–” “Get _on_ with it.”) and their studies of these alternate universes indicate that Earth is finally on the right track towards the future.

“And the point of convergence is you, Mrs. Danv- Miss Luthor,” Querl says. “As the first successful time traveler in all histories—alternate included—your actions are what have set mankind on the path to survival… and success.”

He hands her a plaque, one that they keep locked up for ages until knowledge of successful time traveling is made public. He also surreptitiously hands Kara a ring.

“This has been passed down for generations and generations,” Querl says with a twinkle in his eyes. “It wouldn’t do for a time paradox to form. I trust you know what to do with this.”

And Kara does. She marries Lena under a sky of stars (Lena loves the outdoors, loves the nature that never existed in her timeline) and together, they vow to love each other endlessly.


	15. First Kiss + Accidentally Saving the Day

So the setup is relatively close to canon, where Lena and Supergirl both work together for the DEO. They recently finally got over the drama from The Reveal, where Lena wasn’t exactly happy about finding out that Kara = Supergirl, but after the eighth or so bouquet of flowers sent to both her office and the DEO, she gave in to Kara’s puppy eyes. 

However, there’s a new _tension_ between them. 

On Kara’s side, it’s something like “Oh my gosh Lena finally forgave me I’m so happy I never want to lose her she’s like SO important to me I love her so much– wait, I love her???”

On Lena’s side, it’s like “Okay so Kara is Supergirl and Kara is my best friend and one of the best thing’s that ever happened to my life… Supergirl is like a beacon of hope and everything I aspire to… So if we put those together, Kara Zor-El is like life goals and wife goals and– wait a seCOND”

They’re both in the middle of internally panicking in the DEO (nobody can tell because they both have great poker faces when they need to (nobody aside from Alex, who is wondering why Kara looks vaguely confused and constipated at the same time)) when news gets out of Lex Luthor escaping prison.

Now, in this world, there’s more than one brain cell to go around, so nobody does the whole “LENA LUTHOR IS HELPING HER BROTHER!1!!1!!!” nonsense. They immediately call upon her expertise and genius to combat Lex’s schemes, and with Supergirl ready to throw punches for her wife– I mean best friend, the two manage to stop most of Lex’s nonsense relatively easily.

He’s not happy about being foiled by his little sister and his nemesis’ cousin. His goons catch him ranting something about “NOT FAIR!” and “THEY MUST BE CHEATING!” and “HAX!” and “girlfriend power too OP pls nerf” before he settles on his final, last-ditch effort to eradicate National City and Metropolis in one go.

Unfortunately, Lex has those Extra™ Luthor genes, so his strategy kind of involves wiping out probably the entire planet at the same time. Basically, he decides to launch a suicide-bomber style spaceship to go blow up the moon. Apparently he had been sitting on this plan for a long, long, _long_ time since the ship is designed to be anti-Kryptonian, and not even Kara and Kal’s combined brute strength would be able to stop it.

The DEO orders Supergirl to take Lena directly to the ship before it launches. They have several squads racing high speed there, but they need Lena to physically tap into the system ASAP so they can abort this ridiculous plan. 

So cue two badass ladies dropping into the ship (Supergirl drops a few one-liners as well, and Lena may or may not roll her eyes while smiling.) and while Supergirl punches the crap out of a lot of soldiers, Lena is busy hacking into the ship. She’s quite successful as she’s always been smarter than her brother… but then she hits a snag.

“Everything alright there?” Kara asks when Lena just stares at her monitor blankly. 

“READY TO LANCH IN T-MINUS 30 SECONDS,” the onboard computer announces.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Kara points out.

“I don’t know what button he set,” Lena suddenly says. “I don’t know which button is the one that would let me finish the override.”

Well, shit.

Kara glances at the dashboard, but it’s literally covered in all sorts of fancy switches and buttons. Half of them look like decoys too, with a skull painted on one, a big fat “DO NOT PRESS” taped under another… Kara already feels a headache coming on and she realizes that not even Lena can decipher this mind game in 30 seconds.

“LAUNCH IN T-MINUS 20 SECONDS.”

Okay, _twenty_ seconds. The engines of the ship are already roaring and the cockpit has begun to flash red, and Kara suddenly feels strangely calm.

Evidently, Lena feels the same thing as she looks to Kara with a wry smile.

“At least I managed to divert the flight path,” she says with a hint of pride. “Looks like we’ll be going to Pluto, Supergirl.”

“LAUNCH IN T-MINUS 10 SECONDS.”

“I love you,” Kara blurts out. She figures it’s best to get this out before they get involuntarily sent on a trip through space. “I know this isn’t the best timing, but I just wanted you to know that I love you.”

“T-MINUS 5 SECONDS.”

“What?” Lena recovers quickly. “I… I love you too.”

Before it’s too late, Kara quickly leans in for her first kiss with the love of her life. It’s one filled with ardor and passion, and Kara can’t help but push forward, desiring as much of Lena as she can get.

Lena melts into the kiss and lets Kara lift her onto the dashboard, leaning back on the console as their kiss intensifies. 

Suddenly, there’s a beep.

“T-MINUS…”

The robotic voice trails off and the red lights stop flashing. As the sounds of the engines die down, the couple separates.

“How did you _do_ that?”

“It was an accident!”

When Lex is caught and imprisoned again mere hours later, he’s seething about how Kara and Lena did the impossible.

“I completely randomized the final override!” he yells as he’s being shoved into a high security van. “How could you possibly have picked the right one out of hundreds???”

Kara shrugs, Lena smirks, and Alex flips him the bird. Kara later spins a tale of daring bravado and being led by “the hopes of those we were about to leave behind” for the DEO report since there’s no way Lena was going to let her say “I was making out with Lena and her butt hit the right button.”

The Superfriends die laughing when they find out the truth, but Kara doesn’t mind.

It’s all in a days work and hey, at least she now has a girlfriend.


	16. Grief Fic + Poorly Timed Confession

So everybody loves Krypto. Kara loves him, Lena loves him, Alex loves him, Winn loves him, James loves him, Sam loves him, Ruby loves him, J’onn loves him, even Snapper loves him. 

And Krypto loves everyone too! He maybe a bit energetic and rowdy sometimes, but he’s always so happy! to meet new people and always so happy! to greet them with hugs and kisses. He’s a good boy. 

He’s how Kara and Lena met, actually. It’s like a scene straight from a romcom where the Dorky Lead and their Hyper Dog are in a popular park and the Hyper Dog somehow gets away and goes crashing into Sharp Dressed Love Interest who looks cold but has a heart of gold underneath that icy exterior. Sure enough, between Kara’s profuse apologies and Krypto’s sad doggo face, Lena forgives them easily enough and somehow winds up being the one offering to buy Kara a coffee?? And one thing leads to another and then they become best friends. 

So basically Kara lives with her big floofy white doggo and hangs with her sister and friends quite regularly. Her job is stable (apparently Krypto talked Cat into giving her a raise somehow??), her finances are secure, and she’s the very model of an Ideal Adult in this economy. All is well in the world, until it isn’t.

Krypto is run over by a car.

A lot of blame goes around. Blame for letting Krypto escape for even less than a minute, blame for the driver for going at what must have been too fast a speed, blame for the city not lighting up that portion of street properly, blame for the time of the day, the list goes on. James and Alex actually get into a shouting match about it and while Kara ignores them (it’s probably their way of coping, using anger for their pain (Kara herself is still trying to process what happened)), Lena snaps and tells them to shut up.

What happened has happened, and finding someone to blame doesn’t change the reality. 

When it finally sinks in, Kara cries and cries and cries. She hasn’t cried so much since her parents passed, but it’s only natural to shed this many tears over losing yet another family member.

Lena, on the other hand, doesn’t cry, though her eyes shine and she almost makes her lip bleed from how hard she’s biting it. (She breaks down a few days later, when she comes across his tennis ball in her office.)

Things change quickly at home, faster than Kara expected. It’s _quiet_ these days, and there’s no more tell-tale skittering of claws on their floor whenever Kara starts cooking in the kitchen. There’s no more excited panting and slobbering as soon as someone walks in the door. There’s no more fighting over the couch for who gets the best spot. There’s no more greeting the neighbors on a daily walk. All traces of his presence slowly fade since they eventually put away his toys and bed, donating some, though Kara can’t bear to part with all. The vacuum picks up less and less dog fur as the days pass until there’s finally none. 

There’s less and less of Krypto everywhere until there’s nothing but the chronic feeling of something missing in Kara’s life. 

It’s hard to say that you _get used_ to someone being gone, but Kara does kind of sort of get used to Krypto’s absence. Time doesn’t wait for anyone, life goes on, and the tears dry up.

The waterworks return out of the blue one day when Kara is strolling the streets of National City with Lena. It’s a beautiful day and the sun is out while sidewalks are populated with happy families and couples here to enjoy the weekend air.

A brunette woman with a white dog walks by.

A few minutes later, Kara suddenly bursts into tears.

Before Lena can pull her to the side where fewer people can ogle them (fortunately the Luthor glare stops any assholes who want to record the scene), Kara suddenly pulls her into a rib-breaking hug. 

“I love you,” she wails, and Lena has no idea what to say to that. Like they’re standing smack in the middle of a busy street, people are staring and some are even giving her the stink eye, and _the woman she loves just said that she loves her too._  

Kara manages to get more words out between sniffles. Basically, that woman she saw somewhat resembled Lena and her dog reminded Kara of Krypto and Kara just _misses_ him so much, will never stop missing him, and she can’t bear the thought of having to miss Lena too. 

“I don’t want you to go anywhere,” she blubbers inelegantly. “I love you and I want you by my side for like forever and ever and–”

By now, the glares from the strangers have stopped but they’re still attracting a lot of attention judging by the cooing and laughing Lena can hear. Part of her doesn’t care, another part is more concerned with Kara’s wellbeing, but a part of her manages to steer them off the main street into a more quiet alley. 

“I won’t leave you,” Lena says.

“Promise?” Kara sniffs.

“I promise.”

Kara and Lena repeat these words a few years later when it’s time to take their vows. They eventually adopt a chubby chihuahua and have an adorable, animal-loving kid.

Meanwhile, in doggo heaven, Krypto the Good Boi patiently awaits the day he’ll finally reunite with his loving family and friends. 


	17. Anger Born of Worry + I Didn't Mean to Turn You On

So just for the fun of it, in this funky AU, Lena joins the DEO after Lex’s nonsense and becomes a badass agent in her own right. Unfortunately, the majority of people still don’t really trust her since it hasn’t been that long since her brother was put away. Nonetheless, Lena strives to be a force for good and performs her duties as a DEO agent admirably. 

She and Alex form a sort of camaraderie. They’re not _friends_ , per se, but their skill sets complement each other, their teamwork is pretty on point, and they have a mutual respect for each other. 

Which is why Lena is surprised when Alex decides that formally hiring a random vigilante is a good idea. Okay, so Supergirl isn’t exactly a _random_ vigilante, but she’s a vigilante nonetheless. And like does she and Alex think they’re clever or something? Because anyone with a pair of eyeballs can see that Supergirl is none other than Kara Danvers, Alex’s nerdy and dorky adopted sister. 

Lena actually met Kara Danvers once, when she ran into Alex in a restaurant during their off day. The blonde had been rather shy but friendly, greeting Lena warmly but leaving Alex to do most of the talking. She never took her eyes off of Lena though, and while Lena was intrigued, she was far more subtle about watching Kara. 

And then a few days later, Kara flies into the DEO without her glasses and with a red and blue suit. What. 

Apparently the DEO is blind (must be, since half of them still can’t see how _good_ Lena is) for nobody seems to realize that Kara Danvers = Supergirl. Lena isn’t about to open that can of worms though, and so she keeps her mouth shut and puts up with the inevitable gossip of “A Super and a Luthor? Working together? It’s more likely thank you think!”

J’onn, for some reason, assigns her and Supergirl as a duo right off the bat. (Alex has something to do with it, but Lena doesn’t find out until much, much later.) To Lena’s surprise, her teamwork with Kara is even more fluid than when she partners up with Alex, and it’s not just because of Kara’s superhuman skills.

Lena lowkey wonders if Kara is a mind reader or something, for she always knows where Lena needs her the most even without saying a thing. If Lena so much as glances at a rooftop, Kara is there not even a second later, knocking out any lurking goons. When Lena says “Flank them,” Kara says “Got it” and takes the route that Lena didn’t have time to describe yet. The one time they ever butted heads was when Kara insisted on protecting Lena from a pair of hooligans that she could definitely have wiped the floor with. Kara quickly apologized as soon as Lena said something though, and now they’re basically the DEO’s Dream Team. 

(They’re also really good at going undercover as a couple, much to Alex’s amusement.)

Unfortunately, as of late, Kara’s performance has dropped sharply. Nothing bad has happened yet since Lena watches out for her partner (not that she’d admit it yet), but it’s concerning when Supergirl flies into the third streetlamp for no particular reason. 

It all finally comes to a head one day when they’re under fire from Lillian Luthor’s pack of jerks. They have anti-alien weaponry, which Kara is mostly immune to but not completely. Lena is taking cover from a volley of gunfire from behind a slab of concrete when a goon drops down beside her, ready to bash her skull in with the butt of his gun.

Supergirl is immediately there with an impressive drop kick. 

“Hi,” she says with a grin before she’s promptly blasted from behind.

“Be careful,” Lena hisses as she pulls the dazed Kryptonian into cover. “We’re surrounded, so keep focused.”

“Don’t worry,” Kara says breezily. “I got this.”

She stands up, zaps a few jerks with her eyes… and then gets blasted again.

This time she groans, clutching her stomach in pain as she hunches over next to Lena.

“Maybe I don’t got this?” she admits before cringing and wincing again. 

It’s not every day you see a Super in pain. It automatically triggers some sort of panicked reflex in Lena, and she grabs Kara by the face.

“Listen to me,” she snaps. “You have been a _mess_ this past week. Get your act together before I do something drastic, you understand?”

“Y– Yes, ma’am.” 

“No more mistakes, is that clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“We are going to defeat my mother and get back home safe and sound, you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Lena runs into Kara after their mission in the DEO locker rooms, where she’s changing out of the shirt that had gotten torn up during the fight. Kara, for some reason, refuses to look in Lena’s direction and stares at her feet instead when she apologizes.

“Sorry… I’m attracted– distracted! I’m just a little distracted these days!”

There’s a suspicious ping in Lena’s head, and she follows the hint. She hasn’t put on her shirt yet, but in the name of Science, she approaches Kara anyways.

Supergirl, bless her soul, backs up until she hits a wall. 

“What has you so… attracted, Kara?”

Apparently using her name turns Kara roughly the color of a tomato, and the poor superhero actually blurts out “You!” without thinking. She groans, burying her face in her hand and refuses to look in the direction of Lena’s chest. 

“Sorry,” Lena smirks. “I didn’t mean to turn you on or anything, _Kara_.”

Kara hastily backs all the way out of the locker room, breaking straight through the wall behind her. 

J’onn chews them both out later, but Lena finds that she doesn’t really care. She’s not even really listening, not when she’s secretly holding the hand of her new girlfriend under the table.


	18. Space AU + Fairy Tale AU + Curses

In an AU version of Krypton, there is a tale that’s passed down from generation to generation. It’s a story of a young lady of impeccable character, filled with kindness, generosity, sympathy, integrity, etc. She’s also a friend to all animals, skilled with the written word, talented in fine arts, and so on. She’s basically the Kryptonian version of a model Disney princess. 

The tale recounts her adventure, where she is destined to spend years and years wandering the stars, far from home. She travels from place to place, finding treasures and legends and making her mark on various histories before finally, finally coming home at long last. It’s a grand tale of adventure, one told to inspire children to look to the skies and the possibilities that lie in the beyond.

The tale is… oddly specific about the circumstances of the birth of the heroine including details ranging from the position of the sun to even the exact temperature at the moment of birth. As luck would have it, Kara is born under those exact conditions.

Fast forward many, many years and Kara indeed embarks on a long journey away from Krypton. She travels to and fro, visiting countless civilizations and seeing endless stars. She helps those in need when she can, and she spreads smiles to everyone she meets. While she does come across rare artifacts every now and then, Kara personally thinks her greatest treasures are the people she meets on her journeys, some tagging along for the ride.

On Colu, she finds Querl Dox, an inquisitive soul with whom she strikes an easy camaraderie. She rescues Nia Nal from a space pirate and welcomes her aboard. There’s a bit of a scuffle with a patrolling officer in the second galaxy Kara visits, but the officer known as Alex Danvers eventually joins Kara’s crew as well. It can get a bit crowded in the kitchen at times, but traveling through space with her friends is all Kara would ever ask for.

One day, they come across a small fighter plane under attack from a large cruiser. Neither ship has clear identifying colors, but Alex seems to recognize the cruiser.

“That’s Lex Luthor’s ship,” she says. “A war criminal.”

Naturally, Kara and co. attempt to rescue to the poor fighter that’s somehow managing to dodge everything Lex throws at it. A clever maneuver involving a faint and rainbow particles as distraction buys them enough time to get the fighter aboard and Kara’s crew escapes. 

The pilot of the fighter is none other than Lex’s sister, Lena. 

She explains that she may or may not have stolen sensitive information from him, data that she immediately transfers to the United Human Federation. Alex interrogates her for a while on behalf of their home nation, but she soon confirms Lena’s trustworthiness as a mole working against her brother. 

“You can stay with us if you want,” Kara offers. “I don’t think the UHF would mind.”

“I don’t think that’s wise,” Lena says with a polite smile.

They send her off on a transport when they dock at an inter-galactic port, Lena thanking Kara for her hospitality. 

And then they run into each other again when Kara’s crew comes across that exact same transport under attack by Lex. This somehow repeats a couple more times, with Kara sending Lena off and then having to swoop in and rescue her over and over again. She doesn’t mind seeing Lena (she lowkey enjoys talking to this soft-spoken, enigmatic woman), but Lex’s dogged persistence is getting _annoying_. 

Winn, tired of the constant repairs to their ship, finally suggests that they personally escort Lena home. At first, Lena objects without citing a reason. 

“It’s not a good idea,” she says, but without further elaboration, the crew decides to go forward with the plan.

A whole freakin’ war nearly breaks out as the result of their actions. Turns out Lex summoned an entire mercenary fleet to blockade Earth. There’s no way the UHF would let that go, and they in turn bring out their navy, but one of their admirals intrudes upon contested airspace while rushing to Earth, which starts a whole diplomatic disaster. 

The situation is finally resolved when the Kryptonians send Kal’s fleet and the Martians send J’onn to 1) beat the crap out of Lex and 2) talk down the pissed off Daxamites. Kara lends a hand too, working as an intermediary while teaming up with Lena to outsmart Lex’s captains. After a siege that lasts roughly two weeks, Lex’s blockade dissolves and he flees to another galaxy. 

They’re orbiting Earth when Kara goes to say goodbye to Lena. She’s not in the hangar though, and Kara finds her on a quiet observation deck. 

“Do you believe in curses?” Lena asks while looking down at Earth.

Kara shrugs. “Apparently I’m living the life of a fairy tale so…”

“How lucky of you,” Lena smiles sadly. “Apparently we Luthors are cursed, did you know that? My great, great, great, great grandfather offended an Asari ages ago, and now every single one of us is cursed to never be able to return home if we ever leave.”

Perhaps such a thing can’t be fully scientifically proven, but it annecdotally holds to be true. Apparently Lex left Earth at a young age and hasn’t returned since. Lena herself has made multiple attempts but odd coincidences, freak accidents, and Lex ensure that she never succeeds. Going through their family tree actually reveals a bloody history where countless Luthors have died trying to return to where they came, including some major disasters costing hundreds of lives. 

“I want to go home,” Lena whispers, her voice quiet. “I miss home.”

“Maybe you can’t go back…” Kara says. “But you can go forward, right? Can we find you a new home?”

And so Lena joins their ragtag group of friends. She’s still a little withdrawn at first, mostly keeping to herself, but then Kara conspires with the rest of the crew to give Lena a surprise. It’s harder than they expect to sneak two people on board, but the look of shock on Lena’s face when Sam and Ruby suddenly pop into Lena’s cabin in the middle of the night cycle is worth it. (Lena screams loud enough to wake up the entire ship and she actually throws a slipper at Sam before bursting into tears. It’s wholesome.)

Long story short, the Superfriends continue adventuring for a long time, in which Kara and Lena gradually fall in love. They make no further attempts to land on Earth in fear of random bullshit stopping them, but they find plenty of joy in other places. Finally, after over a decade of not seeing her parents, Kara returns to Krypton.

“This can be your new home, if you want,” she tells Lena. “This can be _our_ home together.”

They eventually get married and settle down, enjoying a peaceful life on solid ground. They even have a kid at some point, to everyone’s joy. 

Kara’s adventures, which she carefully documented in a diary, are treasured by her parents, who then share them with her relatives who then share them with _their_ relatives and so on until Krypton officially asks for her records to become a part of their archives. Further renditions of the Tale of the Star Princess become conflated with Kara’s story, and eventually people refer to Kara’s journey more than the original.

The Luthor curse becomes nothing but a footnote in the stored annals. It’s forgotten a few years after Lex’s death (in which he tried to invade (return to) Earth one final time) since Lena never goes back. While she never becomes as famous as the legendary adventurer Kara, Lena earns her own place in history as an envoy of the UHF and a peacekeeper for the galaxy. 

Later historians always take care to mention the two together, for their lives are so intertwined after their initial meetings. Poets and artist eventually spin the two into a new fairy tale, one centered on the beauty of space, the challenges of life, and, above all, the power of love. 


	19. Arranged Marriage + Bed Sharing

Kara Zor-El had spent the last few years expecting an arranged marriage. It’s not that her parents are Evil Domineering Overlords essentially selling her off to the highest bidder; it’s more like she’s of age to be married (an eventual requirement in this day and age) and Kara herself hasn’t fallen in love the way Kal has. So she expects her parents to find her a nice option so that she can settle down and protect their lands with her new spouse.

What Kara doesn’t expect is that she’s to be married to a Luthor.

The Luthor and Els have been rather hostile to each other for quite some time now, some old feud reignited when childhood friends Kal and Lex have a falling out. The Luthors have a reputation for being cunning and ambitious compared to the more upright and straightforward Els, so Kara is summarily wary of being tied to a member of this house. Unfortunately, invading Daxamites are an even bigger threat and so the two houses decide to join in an alliance against the incoming invaders.

Kara’s parents are immediately angered when they hear that Kara is to be married to Lena Luthor, Lex’s younger sister. They say it’s an insult, essentially a dismissal from Lillian Luthor, the matriarch of the family. Lex is still unwed and as the male heir, he would be a prime candidate for their only daughter Kara… and yet Lillian flippantly offers up her daughter instead, one that is all but stated to be Lionel’s illegitimate child born of a maid.

For the sake of peace though, Kara accepts. “Better her than the stupid egg that tried to backstab my cousin, you know?”

“We don’t know a lot about her,” Alex warns the day before the marriage. “She probably really is Lionel’s bastard considering how she’s spent most of her life locked in some wing of the Luthor castle like some family secret or something.”

“Then maybe she hasn’t learned to be as slimy as the rest of them?” Kara hopes.

“Or maybe she’s the worst of the lot,” Alex says darkly. 

Whatever the truth, there’s no way Kara can discern it when they finally meet. What she does realize immediately though, is that Lena Luthor is _beautiful_. Her jaw actually drops for a good few minutes until Alex elbows her extra hard.

The marriage goes smoothly, albeit quietly, and soon Kara and Lena arrive at National Citadel, which is to be their home together. Neither speak much on the journey, Kara a little too apprehensive to try to engage her taciturn wife in conversation. They see very little of each other once they reach the Citadel, for the castle is large enough for them to have entire sections to themselves, including separate bedrooms.

The first time they have a proper conversation is three whole weeks after they’re married. Kara is in the stables, tending to Krypto when Lena and her childhood friend/lady-in-waiting Sam approach her, asking for permission to ride in the fields.

“Sure,” Kara shrugs. “Why not?”

Lena and Sam look at each other before turning back to Kara. “Who shall you assign to watch over us?” Lena asks.

Kara blinks. “You guys aren’t going to get lost or something, are you?”

Lena looks troubled, so Sam explains, “As the head of the household, it is well within your rights to have someone… monitor and keep surveillance on my lady. Are you not going to do so…?”

“No!” Kara protests, mildly offended by the notion. She also begins to wonder if Lena has even set a single foot outside the Citadel since they arrived. “You guys can go wherever you want with whomever you want; you don’t even need to ask me for permission.”

When Lena and Sam glance at each other again, Lena looking rather surprised, Kara frowns. 

“You’re my _wife_ , not my prisoner,” Kara states. “Wait, is this like a Luthor thing or something??”

“No,” Lena eventually says after a pause. “It’s more like it was my mother’s thing.”

Kara has never wanted to smack Lillian Luthor so much.

After that day though, she begins going out of her way to seek Lena’s company and conversation. As she suspects, Lena’s tendency to be withdrawn is more of a product of living under Lillian Luthor’s evil eye rather than being Lena’s actual personality. As they get closer and closer, inch by inch, Kara beings to see more of what Lena is really like, from her great intelligence to her sharp wit to her warm heart.

The spouses begin working together to manage their household finances and the affairs of the domain entrusted to them. Lena is really good with numbers and surprisingly innovative when it comes to solving problems. Kara has no problem entrusting all sorts of matters to her wife, and together they form a great partnership. They’re even becoming good friends, a thought that pleases Kara more than she expects.

Sometimes, she thinks she might actually fall in love.

And then a coded missive from Alex arrives. Translated, it says “ _Do not trust any Luthors at Grant_.”

A few days later, a message from Lady Cat arrives, inviting Kara to her annual ball in the nearby lands of House Grant. _“I hear you got married,”_ Kara’s former mentor writes. _“Bring your wife, would you?”_

Kara takes a whole day to decide what to do. She ultimately settles for burning Alex’s note and taking Lena to the ball.

When they arrive, Cat spends a good five minutes scrutinizing the both of them before giving her approval. “You look… surprisingly acceptable together,” she says. “King J’onn is actually pleased with the recent growth in the National Citadel.”

A servant takes them to the room where they’ll stay the night after the ball. It only has one bed, Kara realizes. A rather small one too, considering how Cat usually goes for the most lavish and expansive furniture. Before Kara can wonder if it’s a setup or not though, Lena is summoned for a personal talk with Cat.

It takes a really long time for her to return, and Kara eventually takes to wandering the halls of Grant Castle. More and more nobles, foreign and domestic, arrive and Kara greets some familiar faces, is introduced to some new ones. She finally finds Lena in a small alcove.

Kara’s stomach drops when she sees her whispering with none other than Lex Luthor.

The ball eventually begins, and Kara’s wife is still nowhere to be found for a good portion of time. And then she’s suddenly pulled into a hug.

“My dear!” Lena says loudly as she embraces Kara closely. “I’ve been looking _everywhere_ for you. Where have you been?”

“Uh–”

“I missed you,” Lena says at a more normal volume, placing her mouth right next to Kara’s ear. “I missed your warmth more than you could ever know.”

“UH–”

“The Daxam prince is here tonight,” Lena suddenly whispers, her breath tickling  the side of Kara’s neck. She grabs Kara’s hand in what would be a rather intimate fashion were it not for the long, thin object she presses into Kara’s palm. “Do not be alone with him, and do not drink anything my mother hands you.”

Just as quickly as she appeared, Lena separates from Kara and with a fleeting kiss to her cheek, Lena vanishes in the crowd to mingle with Kara’s parents next.

Lillian Luthor does indeed show up not even five minutes later, handing Kara a glass of wine. She makes some small talk, speaking about Lena as though she was as trivial as the weather, and then she reveals, “The heir of Daxam is here tonight.” 

“So I heard,” Kara says politely.

“He wishes to be an envoy of peace,” Lillian says, her eyes twinkling suspiciously. “Older lords and ladies may not entertain this notion, but perhaps a young, daring soul like you could be the first step towards reconciling his nation with ours?”

“That’s a noble endeavor I would consider,” Kara says as she pretends to take a sip of wine. In her other hand, she clutches Lena’s small dagger tightly. 

“I hear he’s particularly taken with the reading room if you wish to seek him out,” Lillian says before sweeping away. 

Kara spends the rest of the ball trying to surreptitiously track down her friends. She runs into Alex at some point, giving her information on what she knows.

“Lena is innocent,” Kara insists. “She’s trying to protect me.”

“I didn’t know she was going to be here tonight,” Alex says. “I wasn’t aware that you two have gotten so… ahem,  _close_. Anyways, I was referring to Lillian and Lex.”

Sure enough, when the ball begins to wind down, a scuffle breaks out on the dance floor. Some ‘drunken’ goons pretend to be a little too rowdy, throwing punches and glasses at anyone near. Kara knows better though, and she quickly intercepts the man with a knife using the distraction to creep near King J’onn.

“Not today, Lex,” Kara says cheerfully before disarming him with Lena’s dagger.

“How did you–”

Kara punches him in the face.

A proper fight really begins to break out in the ballroom, but Cat’s guards are more than prepared thanks to Kara and co. Alex and Sam even manage to team up and catch an escaping Lillian, much to Kara’s pleasure.

Long story short, Lex and Lillian’s ploy to ally with Daxam and commit regicide is duly foiled. Thanks to Lena, the subplot to have the Prince of Daxam take out Kara never even has a chance to happen, and she even prevented Kara’s parents from being poisoned by traitorous servants.

That night, Kara profusely thanks Lena all the way back to their assigned quarters.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Kara gushes. She’s halfway through recounting how she witnessed Lena throwing dishes at Lex’s goon like frisbees, knocking them out with impressive accuracy, when she suddenly remembers a problem: their sleeping arrangement.

“I can uh… sleep on the couch if you want?” Kara offers. “The hero gets the bed!”

“You’re the one who defeated my brother and saved King J’onn,” Lena reminds her.

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” Kara points out.

After some more squabbling the wives finally settle on the obvious solution: sharing the bed.

At first, Kara is as stiff as a board when she lays down. Sure, they’re wives, but has Kara ever mentioned how _beautiful_ Lena is? It’s not easy to sleep right next to a beautiful, gorgeous, heroic, brave, kind, loyal, righteous woman. It becomes downright impossible when a clearly asleep Lena suddenly hugs her, turning Kara into her body pillow.

On their way back home, Krypto somehow keeps a sleep-deprived Kara from falling off his back. Kara completely jerks awake when Lena makes a request.

“Is it okay if we… occasionally share bedrooms?” she asks, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks. “I don’t believe I’ve ever slept as well as I did last night.”

Kara, being a Good Wife (read: whipped) immediately says yes. She does eventually get used to the notion of sleeping next to Lena, and pretty soon all of their nights are spent together.

“I love you,” Kara whispers one morning as she wakes up and sees Lena’s face illuminated by the sun.

Lena’s resulting smile is the most wonderful thing Kara ever sees, and Lena’s kiss is only answer Kara needs.


	20. Massage Fic + Poorly Timed Confession

Basically, this fic starts out with poor Kara Danvers, who is literally kind of poor. It’s hard not to be poor in this economy, so she jumps around from job to job, working where she can while she finds a true long-term job that would pay well without her needing to sell her soul. A bit of a pipe dream, but Kara does stints as a babysitter, waitress, fry cook, barista, etc. At some point, she even works as a masseuse, though she soon leaves that job after some slimy git tries to “return the favor” and gets his hand broken. 

Kara eventually lands a reporter job at Catco, and she is thrilled. The first person she interviews is Lena Luthor, the famous CEO. Kara recognizes her from the time she spelled Lena’s name wrong when she was a coffee barista. Fortunately, Lena forgave her and so Kara walks out of her interview feeling light and happy from getting to chat with such a delightful lady.

They become friends not long after that, because Kara and Lena are always drawn to each other no matter the universe. They hang out regularly, talking about whatever, joking about this and that, lowkey flirting, and confiding in each other. At some point, Kara learns that Lena can get pretty stressed after major board meetings, so she offers up one of her older skills: the art of the massage.

Lena is pretty reluctant about the idea at first for some reason (reason: she has a spectacularly rainbow crush on Kara), but she eventually acquiesces when Kara puts on her puppy eyes and insists on doing this. 

“It makes me feel better when _you_ feel better,” Kara says, and how could Lena say no to that?

They start small, from shoulder massages as Lena sits in her office chair. Lena is stiff at first due to an incoming gay panic, but she eventually melts under Kara’s touch.

“This is heaven,” she practically moans as she feels her tension leave her body.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Sam is looking for Lena in another part of L Corp. By another part of L Corp, I mean in the hallway right before Lena’s office. As she approaches her destination, she hears some very… questionable things leaking through the closed door.

“Ah… harder. Yes… Yes! Just like that…”

“ _What_ ,” is what Sam thinks. 

“Ah, a little lower? Lower… lower. Yes, more!”

“ _WHAT_ ,” is what Sam continues to think.

“Oh, yes… harder, please. Oh, oh! Y _es_.”

“WHAT.” is what Sam finally says as she throws open the door. “ _What_ are you two doing in here!?”

Cue Kara nearly knocking over Lena’s chair in surprise and Lena nearly falling over and tripping Kara and just general chaos until everyone gets off the floor and straightens their clothes.

“I was just giving Lena a massage,” Kara explains petulantly. “She’s been so stressed lately and I was just trying to help with that.”

“Oh… Well…” Sam clears her throat. “I thought you two were… uh… _getting it on_ in the office that I often visit, you know?”

“You thought we were what?” Lena groans and facepalms. 

“Getting it on,” Sam repeats. “Fornicating,” she elaborates. “I thought my boss was getting _railed_ in her office.”

“Please stop,” Lena sighs as Kara turns into a tomato next to her. “We don’t have that kind of relationship. Kara and I are not… intimate like that.”

“I mean we could be,” Kara mutters. 

“What,” Sam and Lena say in unison.

“Did I say that out loud? Someone kill me, please.”

“We could be?” Lena echoes, already forgetting about Sam as she gazes at Kara with hope. 

“I like you,” Kara confesses. “I mean I’ve liked you for a while but… yeah. I really like you, Lena Luthor.”

“I like you too,” Lena whispers softly.

Kara and Lena gaze deeply into each other’s eyes, metaphorical hearts shooting out between them. They gradually move in closer and closer, the rest of the world becoming an afterthought as they lean in for their first kiss–

“Congrats,” Sam says dryly. “I’m very happy for you two, but please get a room that isn’t this one.”

Kara coughs awkwardly, the romantic air dispelled as Lena groans and facepalms again. 

“Why are you still here?” the CEO practically whines. “I thought you left already.”

“And let you two get it on when I have a report to turn in? No thanks.”

“We are _not_ going to get it on!” 

They actually do get it on in Lena’s office a couple months later, much to Sam’s horror, but that’s a story for another day. 


	21. Secret Relationship + Locked in a Room

In a no powers universe (so Kara can’t just… knock on a door and break the lock), Kara and Lena meet at National University where Lena is getting some PhD at the age of Too Young and Kara is wrapping up her own degree before going to work at Catco. The first time they meet is straight out a romcom with Kara accidentally bumping into Lena and Lena dropping all her books and Kara chivalrously offering to help pick them up and take them to Lena’s next class. Kara smoothly (read: stammers on almost every other word) asks for Lena’s number before sending her off, and Lena gives it. Naturally, they fall in love after a lot of cross-campus pining and late night texting. They eventually start going out, but nobody knows that they even know each other since their majors are literally and metaphorically far from each other, and they don’t run in the same social circles.

Well, they didn’t until Sam, Lena’s One Friend, and Alex, Kara’s sister, get thrown together for some group project and Alex introduces Sam to the Superfriends. For a while, Sam’s references to her best friend make her seem like some mythical creature of extreme intelligence, and Kara doesn’t even realize it’s her own girlfriend until Sam finally ropes Lena into a Game Night.

“I’m just throwing this out here, but Lena here is single,” Sam announces to the group.   
  
“Oooh, Kara’s single too!” Winn points out with a little too much glee. 

That’s the moment when Kara and Lena make eye contact because neither have divulged their relationship in fear of getting interrogated by their friends/their only friend. It’s not exactly a brand new relationship, but they haven’t moved past the honeymoon stage yet and so they opted to keep it to themselves for now. They silently double down on that decision, communicating through mind reading skills that future wives inherently have just by looking at each other.

Of course, the best way to deny something is to do the completely opposite, right? 

“I’m studying biomechanical engineering right now,” Lena says during the round of introductions.

“Biomechanical engineering?” Kara repeats with a grimace. “Don’t only know-it-alls and wannabe big shots study that?”

Alex clears her throat. “ _I’m_ also studying biomechanical engineering, in case you forgot.”

When Kara says that she works part time at Catco while finishing up her Master’s, Lena interjects “Ah, Catco… Not known for hard-hitting journalism, is it? More like high-waisted jeans, yes or no?”

The rest of the night continues the same way, with plenty of passive aggressive comments directed at each other. Their act is pretty successful, judging by the texts they get that night. As Kara exchanges apologies and words of sweetness with Lena, Sam is also texting her, apologizing for Lena’s crass behavior. Alex similarly tells Kara to chill even as she wonders if she should have a “friendly talk” with Lena for singling out Kara despite being so nice to everyone else. 

They tone it down the next time there’s a group gathering, though they’re still frosty to each other. After all, the easiest way to avoid accidentally sending heart eyes at each other is to simply not look at each other, right?

Unbeknownst to the two of them… their deliberate efforts to be rude to each other and the blatant refusal to look in the other’s direction don’t come off as just pure hostility. While they’re off on secret dates, the rest of the Superfriends actually hold intense debates over whether or not the strange behavior between the two is Unresolved Sexual Tension or something else along those lines.

It finally all comes to a head after a couple weeks. Kara, volunteered by a very, very insistent Alex, goes with Lena to pick up some materials from one of the university’s labs. Normally, the couple would hold hands when it’s just the two of them, but today Kara senses… danger.

Sure enough, some surprisingly short passerby (hint: it’s Ruby) bumps into the two of them and Kara and Lena are shoved into a conveniently open janitor’s closet. The door also _conveniently_ closes on them and _conveniently_ locks before they can do anything about it.

Kara honestly isn’t sure whether to thank or curse the closet for being so small. Lena is pressed right up against her, chest to chest, almost face to face. Their legs are also rather tangled together, with Lena unable to fix her footing and relying on Kara to keep her upright. When Kara shifts a knee and Lena accidentally moans from its placement, they both decide to just sit still and not make the situation worse. 

“How long are we going to be stuck in here?” Kara practically wheezes. 

“I don’t know,” Lena hisses, her breath tickling Kara’s neck. 

The reality is ten whole minutes of heaven or hell, depending on how you looked at it. For the sake of not doing anything that shouldn’t be done in a janitor’s closet, the two silently agree to just not say anything until they hear someone pass by, though they manage to hold each other’s hand in a silent show of support and mutual suffering.

Eventually, Kara hears a bunch of whispering.

“Why is it so quiet in there?” Brainy asks.

“Do you think they’ve made up yet?” It’s Nia.

“Do you think they’re making out yet?” That’s clearly an overeager Winn.

“Are you sure they haven’t _killed_ each other?” That one is definitely Alex.

“Maybe we should come back in… twenty minutes?”

The last suggestion comes from Sam, and as Kara and Lena both realize what she just said, they panic.

“Let us out!” Kara yelps.

“We can hear you all loud and clear,” Lena points out in case the culprits try to run. 

There’s a tense moment where nothing happens and Lena wants to resort to violence if they really have fled the scene, but then there’s a click and they both come tumbling out.

“Haha, looks like you two are finally out of the closet, haha…” Winn jokes weakly. Alex elbows him.

“Look,” James says diplomatically with his hands raised in peace. “We all just thought… you two are really great people and really nice friends… except when it comes to each other.”

“Yeah,” Nia nods emphatically. “We just thought maybe you two could work out your differences if you were locked in a room together, you know…?”

“And who chose the smallest closet in the history of closets?” Kara complains, rubbing her butt where she’s sure there’s a bruise. 

Everyone points at Sam of all people.

“Hey, I just figured you kids are old enough now,” Sam explains. “If you want to work out your differences in more _physical_ ways…”

“Oh my god,” Lena says. “Oh my _god_.”

She turns to Kara, exasperation all over her face, and Kara nods.

They drop the bomb.

“We’re already dating.”

Chaos ensues and they’re forced to sit through literal hours of interrogation and an endless storm of questions, but with her girlfriend’s hand in hers and with Lena right by her side, Kara thinks she can endure anything.

Anything except for being locked in another super tiny closet. 


	22. Florist AU + Dance of Romance

When Kara moves to National City, the first thing she does is open a flower shop. Being a florist had never quite been her childhood dream, but an appreciation for nature and the desire to bring both happiness and comfort to people nudged her down this path, and so she purchased a cheap building near some undeveloped lot with the remnants of her inheritance and opened up her flower shop. 

At first, Kara struggles to stay out of the red, but she keeps her head high and her smile on her face despite any lack of sales. After a while though, word of mouth of her stellar customer service and an increasing base of regulars who adore her sincerity and kindness ensure the slow but steady growth of her business. 

Still, there are days when Kara has little to no customers due to reasons like especially bad weather. On one such day, when it’s raining cats and dogs, Kara isn’t expecting to see anyone so she’s reading a book when the bell above her door tinkles. In walks in a beautiful woman who thankfully has an umbrella, but she looks just about as ready to cry as much as the sky currently is. 

The woman has a stubborn set to her jaw though, one that defiantly demands to be left alone, so Kara settles for observing the woman quietly as she browses the aisles. She spends at least half an hour observing various flowers… and then she abruptly leaves. Okay then.

Kara sees her a week later, this time on a bright Sunday. Her shop is filled with customers today, but her eyes easily pick out the woman from last week, thankfully looking much calmer than last time. Kara has half a mind to say something when the woman purchases a single white lily, but she decides not to. Instead, she sneaks a little message on the woman’s receipt. 

_May you always find light in the darkest of times._

It’s a bit tacky, but it’s the best Kara could come with on the spot. Alex facepalms when she hears about it later, but they both forget about the incident… until the woman comes back the next week.

“Thank you for the message,” she says with a small but _gorgeous_ smile before leaving with her purchase of yet another white lily. 

This repeats for several more weeks, in which Kara becomes more and more attracted to the ridiculously pretty woman. 

“Just ask for her number already, sheesh,” Alex says after Fangirling Session No. 1235116. 

“I don’t even know her name!” Kara bemoans. 

Alex facepalms.

Kara learns the woman’s name about a month later. She’s daydreaming about some romcom situation where she smoothly asks Ms. Lily out while channel surfing, and then she sees her right there on the television.

“Lex Luthor has been sentenced to life in prison,” the reporter announces. “His sister has been named as the new CEO for his company.”

The camera pans to the front of the courthouse where several people are leaving, and there she is: Lena Luthor, sister of a mass murderer, and the woman who always buys a single lily. 

Maybe it’s a little creepy (very, Alex tells her later), but Kara immediately tracks down Luthor Corp’s address. She arranges a bouquet to be delivered, her shop’s name prominently displayed on the card attached. She also scribbles another message.

_May you find the strength you need when you are at your weakest._

After some hesitation, she adds another sentence along with her phone number.

_I believe in you. - Kara_

Luthor Corp is understandably locked under a media blitz, so Kara honestly isn’t sure if her flowers will make it past security and screening and whatever other forms of filtering the company has employed. Nonetheless, she finds herself wishing the best for Lena as she watches the news daily. 

A few days later, the undeveloped lot not far from her shop is purchased and construction immediately begins. On the same day, Kara receives a text from an unknown number.

_‘Thank you.’_

After spamming Alex with texts and screaming internally, Kara manages to reply and confirms that Lena Luthor received her flowers. 

 _‘How did you know plumerias were my favorite?’_ Lena asks.

_‘Pure luck???’_

Kara honestly never expected to befriend one of the most brilliant (and richest) minds of the 21st century, but somehow she and Lena become fast friends through texting. Lena eventually reveals that Luthor Corp is relocating its main base to National City, where it’ll be renamed. 

 _‘Did you buy that entire chunk of land behind my store just so we could be neighbors?’_ Kara jokes.

It takes Lena a suspiciously long time to reply to that one.

Lena’s new skyscraper is built in record time, the building practically popping up in mere months rather than years. Luthor Corp’s rebranding and L-Corp’s grand opening is met with lukewarm reception at best, but Kara nonetheless sends a large arrangement of flowers as congratulations. 

Lena outdoes her the very next day, sending in an order so massive that Kara can’t quite wrap her head around all the zeroes tacked onto the estimated invoice. Kara tries to slap on a discount, but Lena’s secretary refuses with such a terrifying glare that Kara quickly gives up. Either way, Kara can’t help but gasp when she sees so many of the flowers she’s carefully tended to for so long on display the first time she officially sets foot in L-Corp’s lobby.

Lena eventually invites Kara to L-Corp’s first gala, and of course Kara accepts. Once again, Lena sends in another huge order of flowers, and Kara spends a good deal of the night examining her ‘plant children’ as an excuse to avoid all the business peeps trying to pry into her and Lena’s friendship. 

When the gala begins to wind down, Lena invites Kara to her office. Half of the lights are off, and music leaks through the open balcony door, setting the perfect atmosphere. Kara takes a whole minute to gather her courage.

“Dance with me?” she says, offering her hand.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Lena replies with a smile.

It’s more synchronized swaying than dancing, but Kara is beyond the moon, happy to spend some private time with the woman she admires more and more as the days pass. Some love songs drifts up to them from below, and Kara swallows nervously, wondering if she should take another step forward.

Lena beats her to the punch.

“Would you be willing to go out with me?” Lena whispers.

Kara grins.

“I thought you’d never ask.”


	23. Detective AU + Innocent Physical Contact

So there’s a huge corruption scandal in the Metropolis Police Department, where Lex Luthor’s very long list of crimes is exposed by his (former) colleagues Clark Kent and Lois Lane. There’s bribery, extortion, covered-up murders, and so on. It’s a disaster, especially for Lex’s sister who would have been implicated were it not for her stellar record and her part in uncovering Lex’s crimes.

Lena Luthor is transferred to the National City Police Department, mainly for her own safety and sanity. She expects it to be a breath of fresh air away from the drama and frenzy and media shitstorm surrounding Metropolis, and for the most part, that’s true. Naturally, there are some whispers and mutterings and doubts and questions, but Lena expects that. What she doesn’t expect is to be assigned a partner right off the bat.

Her partner is none other than Kara Danvers, someone who immediately seems a bit too bright and _happy_ for their line of work. She’s friendly and easygoing, which is apparently why they’re put together; Chief J’onnz seems to think it would be a good balance and Lena does understand how Detective Golden Retriever could make up for her own self-admitted inability to connect well with others. 

Lena quickly learns that’s not the only reason why they’re put together. While Kara’s record isn’t as long or as decorated as Lena’s, she’s clearly quite competent. Kara is sharp, attentive, and a rather quick thinker, displaying her both her mental and physical prowess when they apprehend a highly wanted drug dealer together for their first case. 

Lena is examining various notebooks the dealer left in his room when Kara walks up to her.

“Good work, partner!” Kara says brightly as she places a hand on Lena’s shoulder.

Lena, completely unaccustomed to being touched so casually, whirls around so quickly that Kara takes a step back out of shock.

“S– Sorry!” Kara hastily apologizes. “I didn’t mean to– Are you– Uh… Would you rather prefer I, uh… not touch you?”

Normally, Lena would have answered yes and probably would have already mentally de-limbed whatever fool dared lay a finger on her. However, Kara Danvers looks so ridiculously apologetic and remorseful and guilty that it makes _Lena_ feel guilty, and her mouth moves before she can stop it.

“It’s fine,” Lena murmurs. “You… surprised me, that’s all.”

Later that night, Lena realizes she can’t recall the last time she had friendly physical contact like that. Sure, there had been high fives from Clark and Lois once upon a time, but that was years ago, before Lex’s rivalry with Clark had soured and forced almost everyone in the Metropolis PD into a cold war. There had been handshakes, but those were a formality in their line of work, and Lena learned to not expect anything from her own brother after a while. 

That first touch from Kara had been quite the surprise, but Lena is more prepared for the next one. They’re turning in some paperwork together to Nia Nal when Kara glances at her and slowly puts her hand on Lena’s shoulder in a featherlight touch.

“Nice work today,” Kara says in a softer tone than Lena was expecting. “We wouldn’t have caught the suspect so quickly if it wasn’t for you.”

“I’m just doing my job,” Lena deflects as she tries to force her body to not be so stiff.

They both gradually get used to these bouts of physical contacts as the weeks pass. As Chief J’onnz suspected, they’re a fantastic duo, knocking case after case out of the park through superb teamwork and combined wits. (The only time they really clash is when Kara stubbornly insists on being the Bad Cop in a scenario for some bizarre reason and it actually goes… hilariously well.) 

Kara often places her hand on Lena’s shoulder, sometimes to congratulate her, sometimes to thank her, sometimes to support her, and sometimes just to let Lena know that she’s near. Lena appreciates these gestures, though a part of her thinks she’s appreciating them more than she should. It’s almost like she’s getting _attached_  to Kara’s touches, and we can’t have that, now can we?

Lena’s _attachment_ only worsens when she realizes that Kara’s physical contact with the rest of their colleagues is different. Kara’s evidently a very touchy-feely person, often hugging Nia and outright tackling Alex once or twice after the older Danvers returned from a close call. She often slaps Winn or Brainy on the back after they deliver a particularly bad joke (well, Lena thinks they’re bad… apparently Kara loves them based on her uproarious laughter), and rumor says she was the one who forced Chief J’onnz into the habit of giving out brofists. 

And yet Kara’s physical contact with Lena just seems so much… _softer_. There’s still the camaraderie, friendship, and care she gives to everyone else, but there’s something about the way Kara touches her that seems so much more gentle. Kara has taken to slinging her arm around Lena’s shoulder as of late, something she’s done with her other friends, but she definitely doesn’t look at them the way she looks at Lena, with a tenderness and kindness that makes Lena’s heart ache for something she can’t identify. 

It takes longer than Lena’d like to admit for her to finally initiate physical contact herself. It’s on a case gone wrong, unfortunately, with them having immense difficulty tracking down a potential serial killer. It’s Kara who discovers the second body, and after fully surveying the crime scene, Lena finds Kara still kneeling down next to the chalk mark of where the corpse of a little girl had been. 

Kara’s head is down and she doesn’t move, not even when Lena crouches next to her. Instinctively knowing there’s nothing to say here, Lena puts her hand on Kara’s shoulder and gives a small squeeze. 

For a moment, Kara doesn’t move, but then she suddenly curls into Lena, arms circling her partner. Lena leans into the embrace, carefully cradling Kara’s head when she buries her face in Lena’s shoulder. Kara says nothing, nor does she cry, and Lena simply holds her. 

They catch the murderer a few weeks and another body later in a bittersweet victory. They spend some time honoring those they couldn’t protect before heading out to a bar together to celebrate the rescue of the child they saved right from the killer’s clutches. 

“You’re really something else, Detective Luthor,” Kara says with a smile as they’re seated at the bar next to each other. She places her hand on Lena’s. “Thank you for come here and protecting National City.”

“I couldn’t have asked for a better partner,” Lena replies, and it’s the truth. 

A month later, they’re back at the bar to celebrate a pay raise. Once again, Kara places her hand on Lena’s, but this time she has a question.

“Can I kiss you?” she asks softly.

“Yes,” Lena answers, and she kisses the woman who eventually becomes her partner for life.


	24. Roommate AU + Erotic Dreams

So when a series of unfortunate coincidences lead to a bunch of exploded pipes in Lena’s apartment complex, she is not pleased. She had come home from a very, very, very long day of work only to open her door and basically walk into an aquarium-in-the-making. It’s a _disaster,_ and that’s putting it lightly.

The first thing she does is call Kara because she absolutely does not want to deal with the logistics of fixing all this crap at 2am, nor does she want to get caught heading into a hotel this late at night by loose-lipped receptionists that are way too friendly with stalkers/paparazzi.

Kara, bless her soul, picks up right away and the first thing she does is offer for Lena to stay at her place for as long as she needs. When Lena estimates that repairing, renovating, and re-furniture-ing her place will take a considerable amount of time, Kara isn’t deterred in the least.

“My home is your home,” Kara declares grandly, and Lena tries not to _feel_ too much from that.

And they are roommates.

Since Lena and Kara are both extremely considerate and caring towards each other (”I don’t want to impose!” vs “You’re the guest here!”), they easily settle into a very harmonious coexistence after learning the art of compromise. 

The age old argument of who gets the bed is solved after the first night (in which Kara literally could not be budged from the couch no matter how hard Lena physically pushed) since Lena (un)fortunately has the funds to buy her own bed to put in Kara’s spare room. Lena’s giant paycheck also means that she has no issue contributing to Kara’s surprisingly large grocery bills since Kara refused to let her chip in on rent. Neither of them are too sloppy, and they easily integrate into each other’s daily routine without much issue.

And then the Bathroom Incident™ happens.

Normally, Lena has the tact and manners to not intrude upon someone’s privacy when they’ve just finished taking a shower and are getting dressed, but for some reason, on some accursed day when she doesn’t get enough sleep and Kara very coincidentally forgets to lock the door, _it_ happens. It being Lena’s brain ceasing all function when she walks in on a half naked Kara.

Since when are reporters so _buff_?

Lena stares for at least an entire minute before quickly apologizing and booking it out the front door. Neither brings it up when she returns for breakfast.

Lena’s brain clearly hasn’t forgotten though, not when it oh so helpfully supplies her with a particularly graphic dream that night. It involves a pastel pink button-up being undone and a belt being unhooked and shoulder muscles and abs and flexing and _skin_   _contact_ and– 

Lena sleeps rather poorly that night. And the night after that. And the night after _that_. 

The fact that it’s summer makes things a million times worse, for the staunch heat in National City means Kara lounges around in her (their) apartment in very scant clothing compared to the coats and jackets and cardigans Lena is more accustomed to seeing. On one hand, the eye candy is great, but on the other hand, Lena’s blood pressure and sleep quality most decidedly are not.

It gets worse after Supergirl rescues her a few days later. A rare summer shower means that Supergirl is drenched when she scoops Lena out of a mob that managed to push past security. As Lena is cradled in her hero’s arms, she can’t help but notice a few rivulets of water sliding down Supergirl’s biceps. Her eyes follow the flow of the droplets, her brain covered in a haze until she realizes that, once again, she’s _staring_.

To her absolute lack of surprise and utter shame, Lena dreams of Supergirl that night, namely Supergirl’s arms and hands and fingers and _pressure_ and–

Lena vaguely resembles a zombie after a week of these torturously enjoyable dreams. She luckily has enough brainpower left to conjure up some excuse about too much paperwork when Jess the Secretary inquires after her health, for how do you tell someone that you’re lusting after not one but _two_ friends? Two of your _only_ friends, in fact.

The situation is finally resolved the night Lena comes home (she’s gotten used to calling it that) late and sees Supergirl crawling into their apartment through the window.

“I– I can explain!” Supergirl stutters, and Lena is just about ready to have a nosebleed or outright faint from the mental images her brain is very helpfully summoning at the moment. 

And then Supergirl puts on Kara’s glasses and it clicks.

“Oh thank god,” Lena groans.

“I swear, I was going to tell you but– Wait, what???”

“You have _no_ idea how glad I am that you’re one person,” Lena sighs. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome??” Kara replies. “I mean I don’t get it but…”

“It’s a big relief when you realize that you’re having inappropriate dreams about one person instead of two,” Lena says with a dismissive wave of her hand. And then she freezes when she realizes what she just blurted out.

It’s official: Lena Luthor’s brain is a _traitor_.

Right as Lena’s wondering if she can jump out the window without Kara catching her at the bottom, Kara suddenly lets out her own relieved chuckle.

“So it wasn’t just me having… uh… dreams, huh?” she says, a little embarrassed.

“… What?”

“ _Yeah_.”

“Seriously?”

Kara nods.

Long story short, Lena confirms that Kara Danvers can turn dreams into reality. They eventually officially move in together, get married, and live happily ever after.


	25. Established Relationship + Above the Influence

It takes Kara and Lena a really long time to get together because they’re a pair of Useless Gays™. But also because it’s not easy navigating the boundaries of platonic vs romantic feelings, and they both have reasons to believe they’re not worthy of each other, not to mention the unspoken secret of Supergirl’s true identity. All in all, it takes a whole year of anguished mutual pining before confessions happen and they get together at last.

It takes them a really long time to have their first kiss because, surprise, they’re a pair of Useless Gays™. But also because it’s hard to find the “right timing” in between friends randomly walking in on them, Supergirl’s duties randomly calling her away, stupid businessmen randomly extending meetings due to their ego, Lillian randomly popping up to cause mayhem, etc. All in all, it takes several months of increasingly annoying interruptions until Kara and Lena manage to find that one special moment and have that one special kiss. 

As expected, it takes a really long time for Kara and Lena to reach another milestone: doing the do. In fact, nothing explicit ever happens even as they approach their first anniversary. They’re both very content simply to spend time with each other, sticking to chaste displays of affection to express their love. However, with that one year mark looming just mere days away, Lena starts to have Doubts. 

If Kara simply isn’t interested in sexual matters, that’s fine. Lena can accept that. But if Kara isn’t interested in _Lena_  for some reason… that would be a harder pill to swallow. Lena can already hear her mother’s voice, nagging her about every little thing she eats, criticizing her for little physical imperfections and flaws, (”Why would anyone want to touch you?” imaginary Lillian sneers) and the thoughts just keep snowballing and snowballing and snowballing into a storm of insecurities that plague her, especially at night.

On the other side of the Supercorp equation, Kara is very concerned with being respectful of her partner. Lena has made no indication of being interested in taking their physical relationship further (see: a pair of Useless Gays™), and the last thing Kara wants to due is pressure her. She treasures and adores Lena, so she puts her own lust to the side so she can respect Lena’s (supposed) lack of desire. Of course, there’s a part of her that has doubts more along the lines of Lena’s specific worries, but with throngs of fangirls and fanboys always talking about getting “rawed” by Supergirl online and without Lillian Luthor’s upbringing, Kara isn’t nearly as insecure as Lena is on this front.

Cue the day Lena calls Kara at 11pm, her voice extremely slurred as she asks for her heroine to show up at her apartment for a “secret rendezvous.” Kara, ever the caring girlfriend, humors her and is more than okay with babysitting a drunk Lena. 

“You knoooow… our anniversary is coming up,” Lena drawls as she’s sprawled over Kara on the couch. 

“Yeah,” Kara says with a soft smile. “We’ve spent a long time together.”

“We _have_ , haven’t we?” Lena looks at Kara, her eyebrows wiggling as she tries to impart some hidden message.

Kara doesn’t get it.

Lena starts squinting as if that would help improve telepathic communication.

Kara still doesn’t get it. 

Lena starts attempting to unbutton Kara’s shirt and when her other hand starts sneaking around Kara’s waistband, _then_ Kara gets it.

“What are you doing?” Kara yelps even though the answer is as clear as day. 

“I’m seducing you,” Lena says flatly. In a surprisingly fluid move, she takes off her shirt before Kara can stop her. 

“You’re drunk,” Kara points out, doing everything in her power to focus on Lena’s face and not look anywhere below her very fine jawline. 

“So?? Do you not like me when I’m drunk?” Lena frowns. “Do you not like me _at all_?”

“What? No! I mean yes! I like you! I like you a lot,” Kara says hurriedly as Lena’s eyes actually start tearing up.

“Then why won’t you _touch_ me?” 

“Because…” Kara swallows when her eyes accidentally drift too low. “Because…….”

“Is it because I’m a Luthor?” 

Kara nearly snorts out loud at this, but she keeps her laughter in check somehow. Carefully taking Lena’s hands while focusing very intently on Lena’s eyes, she answers, “Of course not.”

“Then why, Kara? Why?”

“It’s because I love you.”

Lena stares for a whole minute. “That makes no sense,” she finally declares.

“You’re drunk,” Kara chuckles. “A lot of things make no sense.”

“Then explain,” Lena demands (whines). 

Kara gently lifts one of Lena’s hands to her lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

“I am very, very, very attracted to you, Miss Luthor,” Kara confesses. “Like you have _no_ idea. But I thought _you_ weren’t that interested in, uh… um…”

“Sex isn’t some forbidden word, Kara.” 

“Yes, that! Anyways… I thought you weren’t interested in, uh, getting it on and I didn’t want to push you so…”

Lena takes another minute to process this, and when she reaches her conclusion, she suddenly leans forward.

“Kara Danvers,” she states grandly. “I am very interested in getting it on, so can we _please_ do something already?”

“You’re drunk,” Kara reminds her for the third time. “I don’t want to take advantage of that and besides, wouldn’t you rather be sober for our very first time?”

Lena sighs at this, flopping down in Kara’s arms. “You make too much sense,” she mumbles.

Before Kara can reply, she hears the telltale sound of snoring.

Much to Lena’s satisfaction, they do finally get it on on the night of their anniversary. They both also learn to communicate their desires better, hoping they’ll never need alcohol to convey their needs and wants.

They later get married and lived happily ever after.


	26. Birthday Fic + Coming Out Fic

It takes Kara a while to realize that she doesn’t know Lena’s birthday. It doesn’t really cross her mind for a long time (nearly a year), but one day she as she’s casually window shopping during her free time, she spots a beautiful silver necklace with a brilliant emerald set in the middle. 

 _“This is such a perfect gift for Lena!”_ Kara thinks, never minding the fact that it costs several months’ worth of paychecks. Buying super expensive necklaces is what friends do for each other, right…?

Kara’s actually not so sure about that. It’s a bit weird to give such a costly gift for no reason, isn’t it? So she comes up with a genius solution to that.

 _“I can give this to her as a birthday present!”_ Kara realizes. 

Ten seconds later, it hits her.

_“I don’t know Lena’s birthday!?”_

Ever the resourceful reporter, Kara turns to the most obvious source of information considering who Lena Luthor is: Google.

Google fails. The first three hits all list different dates for some peculiar reason. Kara turns to Wikipedia, elated when it lists one of the three initial results. However, when she checks Lena’s page’s edit history (just out of curiosity!), there’s clearly been an edit war over her birthday. 

Kara briefly considers a source she knows would have the correct info: Jess the Secretary. Except she then thinks of the Jess glare would probably sport if Kara admitted that she doesn’t know her own best friend’s birthday.

(It never came up, okay? Not a single time has Lena ever mentioned her birthday, even in passing conversations about zodiacs and astrology and the likes, and Kara has the vague notion that Lillian probably has something to do with this.)

After a couple days of agony and increasingly desperate Googling, Kara decides to call Sam for help. She probably wouldn’t be so judgmental, right…?

“So… uh… Just asking for a friend, but do you know when Lena’s birthday is?” Kara asks, glad that they’re not speaking in person just in case Sam also thinks it’s ridiculous that Kara Danvers doesn’t know when Lena Luthor was born. 

“I have no idea,” is Sam’s answer.

Kara’s desire to visit Lillian’s cell and give her a very, very, very stern lecture about motherhood intensifies when Sam explains that Lena never celebrates her own birthday.

“She always said it wasn’t a big deal,” Sam says, “Ruby and I have considered trying to surprise her this year considering all she’s done for us but…”

“We have no date,” Kara sighs. 

It would ruin the surprise if Kara asked Lena directly, so Kara tries to summon the courage to face down Jess the ~~Dragon~~ ~~Guard Dog~~ Secretary. Luckily, salvation comes in the form of none other than Alex Danvers.

“We have her birthday on file here,” Alex says dryly as Kara bemoans her own blind ignorance in the DEO. 

Kara frowns. “Isn’t it a little… _unethical_ to get information this way?”

“It’s just her basic profile and all DEO employees have access to it,” Alex shrugs. “Besides, she won’t mind if it’s you.”

Between potential condemnation from Lena’s most loyal employee and what could be considered lowkey cheating in a way, Kara takes the obvious path: checking the DEO database. Just in time too, for Lena’s birthday turns out to be literally days away.

On the day of, Kara casually invites Lena over to her place for lunch. Cue Lena actually shrieking and clinging to Kara when all their friends ambush her as soon as she sets foot in the door. Winn refuses to stop laughing as he keeps replaying the recording of Lena’s entrance until Lena nearly sets his phone on fire through sheer glaring alone. 

The surprise party is a massive success, everyone having fun and celebrating all the joy and wonder Lena has brought into their lives. Lena actually tears up when the party takes a more serious tone, everyone taking turns to make a personal toast to Lena.

“I think it’s safe to say a lot of us owe you our very lives,” Alex says to a crowd of cheers and agreement.

“Thank you all,” Lena sniffs. Kara couldn’t be more proud in that moment, gently rubbing Lena’s shoulders as she’s surrounded with the affection and love of their friends. 

Kara finally gives Lena the necklace after dinner when everyone has left. Lena immediately requests that Kara help her put it on, and Kara’s breath hitches when she sees how perfectly it rests on Lena’s collarbones.  

“I saw this and immediately thought of you,” Kara admits softly before chuckling. “And then I realized I had no idea when your birthday was.”

Lena raises an eyebrow. “How did you find out?“

“Well, Wikipedia and Google were no help, so I wound up having to check your DEO file,” Kara pouts. “You’re not hiding any other important information from me, are you, Miss Luthor?”

She had meant it as a joke, but Lena’s amused smile actually drops away to something… hesitant. 

Almost instinctively, Kara takes Lena’s hand as a show of silent support. When she detects a slight shaking, Kara gives a gentle squeeze and sits there patiently, always willing to wait for anything Lena wants to share.

“I’m gay,” Lena finally says after several minutes. “I think you should know that.”

Kara’s mouth goes dry.

“Oh. Okay. Um…” As countless possibilities rush through her head, Kara forces herself to remain grounded in the moment for Lena’s sake. “Okay. That’s… okay. That’s… more than okay, actually.”

Kara visibly fumbles for words, unable to focus with the knowledge of “Lena is into women” doing a full on tap dance in the front of her brain. She refuses to let go of Lena’s hand though, and she does her best to give a normal smile despite the sudden bout of adrenaline sending butterflies through her stomach. 

“More than okay?” Lena repeats with a faint smile.

“Yeah,” Kara nods. “I mean… I’m kinda into women too, you know?”

“… Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“… I have another secret.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m in love with you.”

Lena’s voice is so quiet that Kara almost doesn’t catch her words, but when she realizes what her best friend just said, Kara freezes before bursting out in relieved laughter and pulling Lena into a hug.

“What a coincidence,” Kara grins giddily. “I’m in love with you too.”

Right before they have their first kiss, Kara remembers to say a few more words.

“Happy birthday. Thank you for coming into my life.”


	27. Soulmate AU + Accidentally Married + Mutual Pining

So the whole “get super drunk in Vegas and wind up married to a total stranger” thing only happens in movies, right? That’s what Kara used to think at least. Like there’s no way she’d somehow wake up naked with a ring on her finger in some random hotel.

Except she does.

She lets out an extremely unflattering screech when she finds a person next to her with a matching silver band. Her worst fears are confirmed when there’s a completely legal marriage certificate just sitting on the nightstand, practically mocking her. 

Kara’s just about ready to pass out when she realizes that holy crap, she’s married to none other than _Lena Luthor._

Thankfully, Lena is pretty rational and collected when she wakes up from Kara’s shriek. She stares at Kara for five whole minutes for some reason before calmly asking to see their marriage certificate and declaring that her lawyers can help them quickly annul their drunken mistake. 

As they get dressed, Kara sees the imprint of a hand just on the back of Lena’s waist. She feels a little guilty; no doubt Lena is going to have a hell of a time explaining to her poor soulmate that she got married to some random blonde in Vegas. It can’t get worse than that though, right?

Except it does.

Lena Luthor being Lena Luthor, the CEO of the newly-rebranded L-Corp and all the fame/infamy that comes with that, naturally tends to get stalked by paparazzi. Apparently she and Kara were caught on video roaming the streets of Vegas, arm in arm, walking unsteadily and leaning on each other while laughing and giggling. One particular clip goes viral, and it entails them looking deep into each other’s eyes in front of the Bellagio’s water show. Their hands are intertwined, and their rings are very visibly glinting under the streetlights.

A part of Kara is jealous of drunk!Kara, who clearly had the night of her life judging by the ecstatic yet gentle smile she sports during the entire video. The other part of her is freaking out even more now, especially when she sees the morning’s headlining news.

“Lena Luthor finally married to her secret lover!”

As Kara and Lena take refuge in their hotel room to gather their thoughts and fight off their hangovers, Lena’s phone beeps nonstop with professional congratulations from fellow business people and her employees. Kara glances at her every now and then while the notifications keep flooding in, waiting to see if Lena panics or frowns from a message from her soulmate, yet it never happens. 

When Kara’s phone finally has charged enough, she turns it on to her own torrent of messages from her family and friends. They’re along the lines of “oh my god Kara is that really you??”, “WTF KARA”, “NIIIIICE”, “Mom is going to kill you. *I* am going to kill you.”, and so on. She doesn’t even have time to reply when her phone rings with a call from Alex.

“What did you _do_!?” Kara has to hold her phone away from her ear as soon as she picks up. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices that Lena has glanced over, but she focuses more on the voice pelting her with questions through the phone. “Did you seriously elope with Lena Luthor?? How long have you been planning this??? Or was it an accident??? WHAT HAVE YOU _DONE_ ”

Kara goes on the balcony to answer and appease Alex, and when she returns, Lena is ready to go. She graciously offers a private jet to take Kara home, but Kara quickly turns it down.

“I live in National City just like you,” Kara says. “I’ll be driving back with my friends.”

“Ah, right,” Lena smiles weakly. “I had forgotten that you might not have come here alone.”

They exchange numbers so they can keep in touch and sign whatever paperwork it’ll take to undo their marriage. Kara doesn’t hear from Lena until a few days later, in which Lena offers a completely different idea.

“It seems our… marriage has done wonders for my public image,” Lena says. “The footage of us in front of the Bellagio in particular seems to make me appear more approachable and trustworthy.”

“Oh, that’s great,” Kara says in relief. “I’m glad I didn’t like… tank your reputation or something.”

“I don’t think that would be possible,” Lena says seriously. “I presume you are aware of L-Corp’s history?”

“… Yeah.”

“L-Corp is currently in a vulnerable position,” Lena admits quietly. “ _I_ am in a vulnerable position.”

Kara catches on quickly. “So you… want us to keep this marriage?”

“For now. You will be compensated, of course,” Lena quickly adds. “It would mean a lot for me if you did this, so… Please?”

Apparently Kara is lowkey whipped for her accidental wife of less than a week, for she immediately accepts, turning down whatever compensation Lena offers. It’s really not a big deal to her; all she has to do is publicly hang out with Lena every now and then, and eventually these meetings will fizzle out and they’ll announce their divorce. Simple.

L-Corp soon releases a public statement on their marriage, spinning a tale of how Lena had purchased a painting a year ago and had wanted to meet the artist. One meeting turned into more, and she and Kara eventually got hitched in Vegas.

It’s not entirely a lie, as Kara finds out when they hold an interview in Lena’s apartment. There’s a dazzling piece of art hanging above Lena’s fireplace, depicting Kara’s hometown during sunset. That piece had been Kara’s pride, one that she had sold to an anonymous bidder with bittersweet feelings. The price tag had been rather high though, and now Kara was finally reunited with it.

Something else catches Kara’s eye in Lena’s place: a picture of Lena laughing with a rather handsome man.

“That’s Jack Spheer,” Lena says with a wistful smile when she sees what has Kara’s attention. “He was… a very dear friend of mine. He passed away in a lab accident.”

For a second, Kara feels relieved, but then she feels another kind of guilt, guilt for being happy that Lena’s soulmate is no longer here. Shoving those feelings aside, she dutifully participates in the interview like any happy wife would. 

As they continue to have outings together, Kara easily understands what had drawn drunk!Kara to Lena. Obviously, Lena is super gorgeous and super rich, but those are clearly not her strongest points as Kara gets to know her. Although she’s a little guarded at first, it’s clear as day that Lena is smart, sharp, kind, witty, intelligent, generous, etc. Kara could wax poetic about her wife for days, which is probably the first sign that she’s falling in love.

“I wouldn’t mind being married to her for longer,” Kara admits to Alex one day, forever still too daunting a word to say out loud. 

Alex snorts. “Well, you guys have become National City’s power couple and all, so I don’t think she’d mind. Have you told her yet?”

“I… I don’t know how.”

Even as the months tick away, Kara keeps her feelings locked inside her heart. The prospect of telling Lena the truth constantly wars with the prospect of never standing at her side again, and gradually her fear of the latter begins to win out.

And then Alex finally meets Lena.

“I’ve heard so much about you,” Lena greets Alex with a warm handshake. Her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes though, Kara notices with concern. 

Alex suppresses a snort. “Same here.”

The trio sits down, Lena pouring nonalcoholic drinks for everyone. 

“I’m so glad I finally get to meet Kara’s soulmate,” she says.

Kara nearly spits her water all over Alex.

“What!?” she chokes.

“ _What!?_ ” Alex echoes, looking as disturbed as Kara feels.

“Am I wrong?” Lena looks appropriately confused, though also vaguely… relieved. “Kara constantly speaks about how close you two are, how you were supportive of our… arrangement.”

“She’s my sister!” Kara and Alex say simultaneously, pointing at each other with varying degrees of “wtf” written all over their faces.

“… Then whose handprints are on your back?”

“I have handprints on my back???”

“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Alex says, immediately exiting Lena’s office but not before swiping a bottle of scotch.

Later, in the privacy of Lena’s apartment, Kara confirms with the help of a mirror that there are indeed two handprints on her back. They match Lena’s hands exactly, especially when Lena pulls her into a hug. Similarly, her own right hand fits perfectly in the shape at Lena’s waist.

“I still have no idea what happened that night in Vegas,” Kara admits. “But I’m glad we met.”

“And I’m glad we got married,” Lena says softly before pulling her wife into a kiss.

The next time they head to Las Vegas, they bring all their friends. This time, they say their vows properly in a private ceremony, and they watch each other’s alcohol intake during the subsequent celebration. When Kara wakes up next to Lena the following morning, she knows this is where she’s meant to be. 


	28. Blind Date + Forgotten First Meeting

When Alex comes out sometime during their uni years, Kara is proud of her sister. Apparently she fell in love with some criminal justice major without realizing it and had her whole gay awakening not long after. Fortunately, Alex got with the criminal justice student fairly quickly. Unfortunately, their well-meaning friends tried to hook her up with someone prior to her getting a girlfriend.

The problem: James found a blind date for Alex, which she could no longer attend in good faith. 

The solution: Bribe Kara with a week’s worth of potstickers and make her go instead. 

(The other solution would have simply been to tell the other party that the date needed to be called off, but where’s the fun in that?)

James spent over a week going on about how nice and wholesome and welcoming Alex’s– _Kara’s_ blind date is, so Kara does have some expectations when she sits down at a marked table in a local restaurant. What she doesn’t expect is for her jaw to drop as soon as she sees the dark haired beauty that sits down across from her.

“I presume you’re… Alex?” the woman asks. 

Kara manages to pick up her jaw off the floor and remembers that she’s supposed to pretend to be her sister in name. “Y– Yeah! And you’re…”

“Sam,” the green-eyed woman says with a small smile. “You can call me Sam.”

They hit it off pretty well despite how… evasive ‘Sam’ seems to be. ‘Sam’ never divulges specific details, though she’s responsive and attentive, and from what Kara does manage to gleam, they seem to have a slightly similar family background: the adopted second child trying to help the world in their own way.

Their little date goes on much longer than either of them expected, hours easily passing as they go from discussion to discussion and from joke to joke. They relocated to a coffee shop at some point, and the more quiet ambiance there leads to more serious and personal conversation, and Kara gets a better glimpse at ‘Sam’s’ heart.

At the end of the night, Kara finds the courage to ask for ‘Sam’s’ number, but her heart drops when ‘Sam’ hesitates.

“I’m sorry,” ‘Sam’ apologizes. “My… phone isn’t working, and I’ll be getting a new number soon. I’ll try to contact you when I do though?”

“Yeah, that’s fine” Kara says, a little dejected.

‘Sam’ looks at her then with a strange smile before gently cupping Kara’s face with a hand and planting a kiss on the corner of her mouth.

“Thank you for this wonderful night,” she whispers before walking out of Kara’s sight.

Kara wonders if this could perhaps be the start of her first love.

Days pass. Then weeks pass. Then months pass. Then years pass.

By now, Kara has graduated National City University and is working for Cat Grant. She never did hear from ‘Sam’ again, though she keeps that precious night in a corner of her memory. 

The bittersweetness comes rushing back full force the day Kara meets Lena Luthor. 

Catco had been abuzz the day it was announced that Luthor Corp was moving its headquarters to National City and renaming to L-Corp. Kara herself was given the honor of interviewing the new CEO and sister of a convicted mass murderer.

The first thing Kara feels when she walks into Lena’s office is a strange sense of nostalgia, then awe.

Lena is clearly a woman of power and self-confidence, judging from the set of her jaw and the directness of her gaze. She’s Sharp and Pointy, and Kara is impressed with the way she tackles Kara’s questions head on. She looks so _familiar_ , Kara thinks, but she never manages to place from where. 

She realizes that Lena reminds her of ‘Sam’ during their fourth interview. By now, Lena is less Sharp and Pointy and more charming and witty, showing a humor reflecting that night so long ago. 

On their twelfth meeting (they can’t even call them interviews anymore), Lena asks Kara out with a shyness that sends butterflies through Kara’s stomach.

Kara wants to say yes right away, but her words catch in her throat, and Lena visibly deflates. 

“I want to,” Kara blurts out before Lena inevitably dismisses her own proposition. “It’s just… I… You remind me of someone I used to know.”

They both sit down on Lena’s couch, simultaneously reaching for each other’s hands in a show of support and desire rather than rejection.

“I met someone a long time ago,” Kara explains. “I guess you could call it a first love? And I just… I really like you, Lena, I do. But I don’t want to rush anything because it wouldn’t be fair to you if my feelings for you are like…”

“Leftovers? Transferred from that person to me?” Lena guesses with a wry smile. “I understand, actually. You remind me of someone I used to know too.”

Lena’s understanding and calm acceptance are a good indication for Kara that she probably could really fall in love with Lena, but as they agreed upon, they take it slow for the next few months. They skirt the line between platonic and romantic as they continue to get to know each other more and more.

And then Lena mentions her friend is moving to National City.

“She’s actually moving _back_ ,” Lena explains. “Sam used to attend NCU.”

Kara’s mouth goes dry.

“What’s wrong?” Lena asks, as attuned to Kara’s expressions as ever.

“Do you… Do you have a picture of her?”

Kara nearly sags in relief when the woman on Lena’s phone looks nothing like the ‘Sam’ she once went out with. Lena’s clearly waiting for an explanation though, and Kara obliges. 

“I once went out on a blind date with a different woman also named Sam,” she explains. “We got along really well and I was looking forward to seeing her again, but… she never contacted me.”

Kara leaves the _“even though she said she would”_ part unsaid, more concerned with the strange look Lena is giving her.

Kara chuckles weakly. “It’s… it’s a bit silly to call someone you only knew for a few hours your first love, huh?”

But apparently that’s not what Lena is taking issue with. 

“Can I see a picture of your sister Alex?” Lena suddenly blurts out.

“Uh, sure??”

Lena spends a good few minutes looking back and forth between the picture of Alex and Kara herself. Then finally she solves the confusion for them both.

“Did you go to this blind date in place of Alex?” Lena asks.

“I… I did,” Kara answers, carefully putting the puzzle pieces together with hope pushing her along. 

Lena suddenly pulls her into a hug. 

“I’m so sorry I never contacted you,” she says as she clings to Kara tightly. “I was only in town for the weekend to visit Sam and she said there was this blind date she wanted to get out of and…”

“Oh my god,” Kara whispers as she moves to return Lena’s embrace. “No wonder you were so familiar, I–”

“I tried looking for you, but Sam told me that the only Alex she could find already had a girlfriend,” Lena says. “And then all the stuff with Lex happened and… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Kara murmurs. “We’re here together now, aren’t we?”

“We are,” Lena agrees before chuckling. “I can’t believe I fell in love with the same person twice.”

“At least you’re not alone there.”

They finally kiss after years, and it’s the first of many to come.


	29. Love Confession + Hair Brushing/Braiding

Lena is barely fourteen when her life falls apart. 

Granted, life wasn’t exactly a walk in the park as Lionel Luthor’s illegitimate child, hated by Lillian and dismissed by virtually anyone that wasn’t her father or brother. There was a basic rhythm to her life though, one that is utterly upended when a border dispute turns into a war and ends in Lionel Luthor’s death on the battlefield. 

The Luthor’s lands are seized by the victor: Lord Zor of the Els. He is merciful to their soldiers, but his eyes are much harsher when it comes time to judge the once-ruling family. Lena doesn’t really blame him, not when she’s heard her father’s nightly tirades, fueled by alcohol and increasing hatred. Her brother was no better, scheming endlessly to feed his bloodthirstiness. The less was said of her “mother”, the better.

Lena is actually a little relieved when Lex is sentenced to death. Her caring, charming older brother was a thing of the past, and it was high time for his body to join the soul of the once-innocent boy that died years ago. When Lillian is exiled though, Lena feels fear. No doubt Lena herself would also be spared out of mercy, but the thought of living alone in some remote lands with a defeated, grieving, embittered, resentful Lillian Luthor sends chills through her bones. 

Apparently someone was actually paying attention to the demure girl with her head down next to Lillian, for a young teenager speaks up before Lena’s exiled is determined. 

“Father, could Lady Lena stay with me?”

Lena glances upwards to see Kara Zor-El, a blonde not that much older than she is. Unlike the darkness constantly following Lena, chained to her existence, Kara is _radiant_. Her golden hair glows despite the cloudy weather, and her blue eyes are determined yet gentle as she watches Lena. 

Kara’s request is easily granted (Lena is reminded of the days when Lionel used to dote on her), and so Lena technically becomes Kara’s lady-in-waiting.

It’s only “technically,” for Kara never demands anything of her. After a few days of following Kara around without a single order issued though, Lena takes matters into her own hands. She doesn’t want to feel pitied like the charity case she knows she is. She wants to contribute, wants to do something. She wants her existence to be useful.

It turns out the years of being at Lillian’s beck and call finally found their use. Kara jumps literally a foot in the air the first time Lena wordlessly hands her the brush she was about to grab. Pretty soon though, they fall into an easy rhythm of Lena assisting Kara in little things here and there. 

Heading down to the kitchens becomes a regular thing, for Kara has quite the big appetite. Unlike the frosty demeanor of the Luthor servants, the people in the Castle of El are warm and friendly, even if a bit wary at first. Lena actually befriends Nia Nal, a young cook-in-training she often runs into when picking up a snack for Kara. Lena also becomes acquainted with Querl Dox, the Els’ stablehand. They occasionally chat when Kara doesn’t have time to visit Krypto and Lena brings him carrots in her place. 

And of course, Lena inevitably becomes friends ~~and falls in love~~ with Kara.

Kara always, _always_ thanks Lena for every little thing she does. From delivering a message to Lady Alura to simply picking up a fallen piece of paper, Kara never fails to thank Lena with a smile that sends butterflies through her stomach. While Kara does appreciate the physical tasks Lena helps her with, it seems her greater need is for a constant companion, and soon the two regularly chat about anything as they go through their daily lives together.  

Kara is unfailingly kind. She is never demanding, always patient, and gives Lena a place to belong. It truly is inevitable when Lena comes to define “home” as being around Kara. 

As the years go by, Kara takes on more and more responsibility as the heir of the House of El. Lena’s role in the castle also grows, for she begins to assist Kara in directly managing the household finances. A stray comment about a faster way to calculate something (a formula she and Lex once discovered) leads to Kara entrusting Lena with overseeing the family ledgers. Lillian would surely die of shock from hearing that Lena is taking part in helping the accursed Els, but that thought just fuels Lena to work harder for the sake of her friend. 

Lena still helps Kara with day to day tasks like helping her pick her outfit or helping her don her training armor, but Lena feels proud whenever Kara asks for her input on some proposal or judgement. She feels valued, almost worthy to stay at Kara’s side. 

The one thing Kara refuses to let Lena go near is warfare. Kara trains every single day, honing her combat skills and getting used to leading their troops, but she always insists that Lena stay away and take no part in training. (Ser Alex secretly teaches Lena self-defense, but Kara doesn’t need to know that.)

Kara’s first real test of her prowess and might comes far earlier than Lena would have liked. She’s not even twenty yet when the Edge Lord, Morgan, comes challenging the House of El for the old Luthor lands. 

Kara’s parents and Kara fend off Morgan’s audacity for hours, deflecting his excuses and defending against his false entitlement. He is persistent though, even when one of his documents is exposed as a forgery and his claim is practically blown to bits. Morgan eventually makes a snide comment about taking the Luthor heiress for his own, and that’s when Kara snaps. 

“Luthor blood or not, Lena is a member of the House of El now, and I will not have you insult my family,” Kara declares. Her parents back up that statement with similar fury in their eyes (Lena is virtually their daughter by this point), and Lord Edge is ejected from their halls.

And then he brings his army.

Edge is clearly geared up for a siege, which the Els could definitely withstand. However, the peasants on the edge of their lands certainly would not fare as well. Lena points this out to Kara, who nods in solemn agreement.  

“I will lead our cavalry on a charge to wipe out Edge before his troops can dig in,” Kara announces.

“Please be safe,” Lena pleads the night before Kara marches out. 

Kara’s assault is a resounding success, taking Edge’s forces completely by surprise and trampling them underfoot with sheer power. Edge himself is run over and flattened, but not before he takes a cheap potshot at Krypto’s neck.

Kara takes the blow instead. 

Kara is unconscious when Alex carries her back to the castle, covered in blood. She doesn’t wake for a few days, and Lena briefly makes an appearance at the victory celebration in her place before returning to her bedside. Lena stays by her side day and night, even as an entire week passes.

It’s hard seeing Kara so deathly still. Her skin is unnatural pale, and her golden hair is matted and tangled, a far cry from the radiant princess that once saved Lena. Nonetheless, Lena continues to care for her, using cloth to dab at any beads of sweat that appear, monitoring her every breath, and so on. 

Lena is quietly, determinedly combing Kara’s hair back to its former glory when she gently lifts a few strands to her lips. 

“I love you,” she whispers, fighting back tears.

By some miracle ~~AKA the power of love~~ , Kara’s eyes open that very instant. She smiles at a shocked Lena, but she breaks out into a series of coughs before she can say anything.

Lena rushes to call for Kara’s family and the castle’s physician, her confession forgotten in her haste to make sure Kara is okay. At some point during the endless tide of friends here to see Kara though, Kara looks over at Lena with such a meaningful look in her eyes that Lena can’t help but blush. 

Kara is the one who confesses a few weeks later, taking Lena’s hand during a stroll in the rose garden.

“I love you,” she says firmly. “Will you stay by my side forever?”

There’s really only one answer to that question, and Kara and Lena get married a few years later. Eventually, they both fully assume the throne together, becoming one of the most beloved rulers in history, living happily ever after. 


	30. Awful First Meeting + Erotic Dreams

Lena Luthor is _mean_.

That’s Kara’s conclusion after the first time they met, in which Kara simply wanted to interview the CEO of L Corp regarding the company’s recent move to National City. 

Apparently Lena woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something, for she’s frowning as soon as Kara walks into her office. She scoffs when she hears that Kara’s from Catco and actually questions Kara’s reporter credentials, which are sadly lacking considering how Kara literally just got promoted. When it comes to the actual interview portion of their meeting, Lena’s answers are short and clipped (yet clearly well thought out, Kara begrudgingly admits) and their meeting is wrapped up in less than fifteen minutes.

Kara is pretty sure that Lena is glaring at her back as she leaves, and Kara thinks it’s such a waste for a pretty face to be stuck in a perma-scowl.

She later finds out that Eve didn’t schedule the appointment properly, and actually got into a shouting match over the phone with an L Corp assistant named Alana. Kara has no idea what it was about (hint: Lex’s fanclub vs Lillian’s fanclub), but word must have traveled up the pipeline and set Lena against Kara before they even met. 

Oh well. It’s not like she’ll ever run into Lena Luthor again, right?

Wrong.

That very night, Kara dreams of Lena for some reason. Perhaps stewing on the CEO’s smoldering glare for the whole day had something to do with it… either way, Lena stars in Kara’s dream that night, but she’s actually _smiling_ and _laughing_?? It’s a breathtaking sight especially when compared to Ms. Grumpy, and Kara wakes up feeling awed and lowkey jealous of dream!Kara.

She carries that floaty feeling with her into the day, which is why she greets Lena fairly warmly when they bump into each other in a local coffee shop.

Kara practically feels flowers blooming in the background when holy cow, _Lena smiles back_.

“Sorry about yesterday,” Lena says with a wry smile. “Your appointment was squeezed in last minute, and one of my secretaries was telling me how I absolutely could not trust a blonde from Catco no matter how friendly she acted… Turns out she was referring to someone else, not you.”

Kara grimaces. “Yeah, I heard Cat chewing out one of my co-workers. Normally Eve’s really sweet, but apparently your secretary might have pushed the wrong button or something?”

“Well, either way, the way I acted was quite unprofessional,” Lena admits. “Let me make it up to you?”

She buys Kara’s coffee that day, and they exchange phone numbers for “business purposes” before parting ways. 

A few nights later, Kara dreams of Lena again. This time, her newfound friend is silently crying, tears trailing down her face as she huddles next to a fire. The sight is heartbreaking, and dream!Kara barely manages to embrace her before Kara wakes up.

She immediately texts Lena to see if the CEO is free for a lunch hangout or something. Fortunately, it’s a weekend, so their lunch goes from one hour to two to three (nobody’s going to kick out Lena Freakin’ Luthor) as they go from chatting about work to discussing more personal matters. Already aware of how crazy Lex Luthor is, Kara learns also that Lillian is rather loathsome as well.

When they part that day, Kara finds the courage to give Lena a hug. To her joy, Lena actually hugs back after a moment of shock/hesitation. 

Weeks and months go by, and Kara continues dreaming of Lena. She’s pretty used to it by now; it’s normal to dream of someone you see so often, right? Like best friends are allowed to dream of each other, aren’t they?

And then one day, Kara has a _different_ kind of dream.

She throws off her blankets as soon as she wakes up from that dream, her whole body feeling far too hot and flushed with excitement and anticipation. She practically sprints to the kitchen to chug down a glass of water before taking a cold shower.

Kara barely manages to look Lena in the eye that day. But it’s probably just a one time thing, so Kara will get over it pretty quickly, right?

Wrong.

She has a rather _inappropriate_ dream of Lena the very next night. And then the night after that. And then the night after that.

After a straight (lol) week of dreaming of a not-very-clothed Lena, Kara is tired and exhausted. She’s rather flighty and fidgety around her friend as well, and Lena eventually calls her out on it.

“Is something wrong?” Lena asks, taking Kara’s hand.

Kara has to fight the urge to jerk away, Lena’s fingers feeling excessively warm to the touch as they gently caress Kara’s knuckles. Kara’s brain is panicking at this point, and to nobody’s surprise, her mouth blurts out the answer with absolutely no shame.

“I’ve been dreaming of you lately.”

“… Dreaming of me doing what?’

“Doing me– I mean uh… things. Doing things.”

Lena frowns. “Bad things? Unspeakable things…?”

“Bad? No. Unspeakable? Yes,” Kara nods cryptically, not trusting her mouth to elaborate more than that. 

Lena clears her throat, clearly confused by Kara’s vagueness. “Well… I’m sorry? I mean I’m not sure what I’m apologizing for, but I don’t want this to come between us.”

“No, no, you have nothing to apologize for!” Kara says hastily. “It’s just… my brain being dumb and… imaginative and… uh… inappropriate.”

Kara immediately realizes her mistake.

“Imaginative and inappropriate, huh?” Lena hums thoughtfully.

“Ignore what I just said!” Kara blurts out, but it’s too late.

“Miss Danvers, would you like to enlighten me on what inappropriate things you’ve been _imagining_?” Lena asks, suddenly moving dangerously closer.

“No?” Kara yelps, leaning backwards. “Wait, maybe? Yes? Maybe??”

She’s squirming by this point, which is all kinds of embarrassing, but fortunately Lena takes mercy on her. She breaks into a beautiful laugh that makes Kara’s stomach flutter before sitting back in her seat.

“I’m still pretty curious,” Lena teases. “But maybe we should go slow?”

“Yeah,” Kara breathes. “Slow is good. Slow would be nice.”

And so they begin dating.

Luckily, Kara’s hormones or whatever chill out and the R-rated dreams stop for a while. She and Lena easily ease into a romantic relationship, one that she never would have imagined all those months ago when they first met. They take it at a slow but comfortable pace, one that gives them plenty of room to gently fall in love.

And then one day _Lena_ starts having “inappropriate dreams”, and the rest is history.


	31. Krypto Drabble

Kara doesn’t mind when Lena replaces her as Krypto’s favorite person.

Oh, she definitely grumbles about it and  _ pretends _ to mind... She spends a whole afternoon bemoaning how unfair it is for Lena to use her CEO salary to bribe her way into Krypto’s heart—like how the heck is a regular, good ol’ reporter supposed to compete against an endless supply of dog treats and indestructible chew toys? That’s right: she can’t.

Lena, of course, denies Kara’s accusations with a very badly hidden and amused smile. Krypto, of course, basically laughs at her. 

The two have the gall to don identical looks of utmost innocence when Kara pouts at them, and she makes sure to look extra offended that night when Krypto puts his head in Lena’s lap instead of hers.

The fact that the rest of his body is draped over Kara has nothing to do with anything.

Honestly though? Kara doesn’t mind.

It’s hard to mind whenever she walks into Lena’s office and sees Krypto glued to her side, the CEO absentmindedly patting his head while she works. It’s hard to mind whenever Lena shrugs off literally being dragged through a park and actually seems to enjoy the forced exercise. It’s hard to mind whenever Lena rushes to praise Superdog for protecting Supergirl on a tag team mission. It’s hard to mind whenever Lena valiantly defends Kara’s dinner from a hungry Krypto while sneaking him chicken off her own plate.

It’s hard to mind whenever Lena speaks to Krypto, thanking him for coming into their lives in such a soft and gentle voice that makes Kara think of  _ home _ .

Krypto’s no slacker in the affection department either. 

Lena’s joked before about how she’s not sure if she’s babysitting him or if he’s babysitting her with how often he chooses to spend time with her. Kara doesn’t have to worry as much about her girlfriend’s safety anymore, not with a flying dog also watching out for Lena and growling at anybody that so much as looks at the CEO the wrong way. 

Krypto also seems to have made it his personal duty to ensure that Lena is as happy as he is; whenever Lena is upset, he brings her all his favorite toys one by one until she’s smiling again. On particularly bad days, he even sneaks his way into the DEO just so he can drag the Girl of Steel home by her cape. Kara never complains about that especially when her tiny apartment is soon filled with the sounds of laughter and joyous barking.

It’s heartwarming, really, how much two of her loved ones love each other. There’s no way Kara could mind that, not when they both bring her so much happiness and fulfillment.

Besides, Lena still insists that Kara is her favorite, so there’s that.

Years later, when she and Lena are both bumped down Krypto’s list, Kara still doesn’t mind. In fact, she’s glad as she cuddles with her entire family, Krypto curled around her while she holds Lena and the newest member of the House of El.

Kara’s glad that her daughter Lori has replaced them as Krypto’s number one.


	32. 4x20 Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As stated in the title, this is a drabble taking place near the end of 4x20 so spoilers below. Read at your own caution.

Sometimes, Kara really thinks life is unfair.

Lena stands with her back to her, exhaustion and distress clear in how she can’t look at even— _especially_ her best friend right now.

“I just let her in, and she lied to me everyday, to my face, about who she was,” Lena says. She’s referring to Eve, Kara knows, but Lena’s words are knives inadvertently flung in Kara’s direction.

Kara’s never felt further from her alter ego—the so-called courageous Supergirl—than in this moment. It’s kind of ironic, actually, how the fact that she’s the Girl of Steel is what’s going to ruin everything, going to ruin the precious _something_ between her and Lena. Any resolve she managed to muster just a minute ago is already crumbling, beaten down into nothingness because of the fact that life is just so _unfair_ to Lena.

And because of the fact that Kara is a coward.

She’s already beginning to regret that she considered revealing the truth in this moment. It feels like yet another mistake, piled upon the lies she has to tell and the pain she will inevitably inflict. Everything feels like a mistake; telling Lena now would feel wrong, telling her later would feel wrong. _Everything_ feels wrong and Kara is scared.

She’s scared and she’s sorry and she doesn’t know what to do.

“And that’s what hurts,” Lena says, each syllable cutting through Kara. “I don’t know if I’ll ever recover from it.”

Life really is unfair, Kara thinks again.

“I know that there is no way I could trust anyone ever again if it wasn’t for your friendship and integrity.”

And with that, Kara gives up. Kindness really can kill, for she can feel Lena’s gratitude and love, but it hurts. Any joy Kara normally would have felt from these sentiments is drowned by the pain in Lena’s voice, smothered by the anguish in Kara’s heart. It’s like a noose has dropped around her neck, one made of guilt and apologies, and so Kara gives up.

 _Later_ , she promises herself. _Later_ , she promises Lena as she slowly begins lifting her glasses back to her face.

And then Lena turns around.

“It means the world to me—”

Life truly is unfair.

Kara knows there’s nothing she could say to salvage this moment. She’s been caught red-handed, her glasses still off and the truth still in the open. She was a second too slow (months and months too slow) and just like that, her lies have been exposed.

“I’m sorry,” Kara says hoarsely as Lena stares at her. “I just… I’m sorry.”

“Are you… Are you telling me what I think you’re telling me?” Lena asks, her voice surprisingly steady.

Kara nods. She sucks in a breath and squares her shoulders despite the trembling in her fingertips.

“I’m Supergirl,” she says. “I am Supergirl and… I am so sorry.”

Lena continues to stare for a good few seconds, time ticking away. It’s almost like another self destruct system about to go off, but all Kara can do is wait.

Lena takes a deep breath.

This is it, Kara thinks. This is the moment when Lena hates her and their friendship is destroyed. This is the moment when Lena realizes that Kara is no different from all the liars that have manipulated her, the moment where she will cast Kara out of her life. Kara braces for it, knowing that she herself might never recover.

And then Lena hugs her.

“ _Thank you_ ,” she mumbles into Kara’s shoulder. “Thank you for finally trusting me with your secret.”

“I– I… What?”

Kara’s arms instinctively wrap around Lena’s body even as her brain is completely unable to process anything right now. All she knows is that Lena is right here; she’s not running away, she’s not telling Kara to go away... Lena is _right here_ , and Kara cannot bear to let go.

“I’ve always known, you know,” Lena admits with a watery chuckle. “You’re not exactly subtle.”

“But… Eve? The explosion? You were freaking out and–”

Lena tightens her embrace.

“I wouldn't put it past her to have used a kryptonite bomb,” she mutters darkly. “I’m almost surprised she didn’t.”

Kara lets out a relieved laugh despite all the confusion now swarming her. It’s much easier to deal with than grief from losing a friend, she figures, so she gladly welcomes the fact that Lena is so much smarter than even she gives credit for.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Kara murmurs. She manages to place a kiss atop Lena’s head before Lena slowly pulls away with a frown.

“I’m sorry you didn’t feel like you could tell me,” Lena says, echoing Kara’s own words from a few days ago.

“It’s… It’s because I was scared,” Kara admits. “I mean at first I lied to protect myself and then I lied to protect you… And I just kept lying because I wanted to protect our relationship.”

“You wanted to protect us,” Lena says with a small smile.

“Yeah,” Kara nods, a lump growing in her throat. “I was so scared of losing our friendship, you know? But the more I put off telling you, the more scared I got and it just… snowballed.”

“It’s okay,” Lena says, and it really does feel okay. “I understand. There’s a lot we should talk about but… I understand.”

Kara smiles and her heart feels lighter than it has in months. True to Lena’s words, there’s already so many things bubbling out of her chest, so many pieces of herself that she wants to share. They can wait for now though, she figures, for there’s something specific she needs to say first.

“Thank you.”

Lena gently takes Kara’s hand, the action enkindling the fire in Kara’s soul.

“As my best friend told me… We are always on the same side.”

Kara grins.

“Always.”


	33. 4x20 Drabble #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers from a different scene from 4x20, but spoilers all the same. Proceed with caution.

Not once in her life did Kara ever think she’d look upon pictures of Lena and Alex and feel _fear_.

There’s dozens of photos plastered on the wall, each of them tied to a memory that Kara cherishes. Right now though, there’s a distinct, acrid taste in the back of her throat as she sees them put on display in a dingy cell in the middle of Nowhere, Kasnia.

Kara’s stomach drops when _holy crap_ , even the journal she thought she misplaced is sitting right there on a cabinet like some bedside story. The bile builds as she flips through her notebook, stopping on a photo of her and Alex used as a bookmark.

The implications aren’t lost upon Kara; it’s not like her entire life is on display here, but enough of it is, and it makes her feel sick.

“Kara?”

Kara’s fear doubles upon the reminder that her friend is not far. It triples when she realizes Lena is gradually approaching and she tosses the journal aside, turning to intercept Lena before it’s too late.

Of course, it’s too late.

“Kara, there’s no way out back this way. Is there an…”

Lena’s voice trails off as she sees the cell that Kara just exited. Perhaps it’s Lena’s sharp intuition or Kara’s palpable terror that gives it away, but Lena seems to refocus on the room behind Kara even as her friend tries to block her way.

“Lena, wait,” Kara implores weakly. Her hands are shaking, but she still reaches out, physically stopping Lena from coming any closer. “Th– There’s nothing, um…”

Any excuses she could have cobbled out of thin air crumble to dust as Lena takes another step forward, one that’s enough to let her peer past Kara.

It’s over, Kara realizes as her arms lose strength. She doesn’t know how she’s still standing as she feebly steps aside and lets Lena in.

“What… What is this?” Lena whispers as her eyes take in the countless photographs.

She sounds as disturbed as Kara feels, but Kara can’t bear to look in her direction right now. She can’t, not when she knows how _smart_ Lena is, how there’s plenty of evidence spread out before them, how Lena is no doubt putting two and two together, how Lena is going to find out she’s Supergirl.

An entire minute passes in silence. When Lena finally speaks up, she doesn’t ask the question Kara is waiting for.

“Who would do this?” Lena says quietly.

“Probably Red Daughter,” Kara suggests. She keeps her head bowed even as she feels Lena turn in her direction. Her hand instinctively fly upwards to fiddle with her glasses, but she forces it down, burdened by the weight of Lena’s gaze.

“Why didn’t you want me to see?”

Lena’s voice is deceptively calm, but Kara knows there’s a storm brewing underneath. She feels the tension practically crackling in the air, and so she forces herself to look up.

Lena stands before Kara with her arms crossed, her face impassive as she waits for an answer. There’s no visible anger (yet), but there’s a laserlike precision and focus as she scrutinizes at her best friend.

Kara sighs.

“I didn’t want you to find out this way,” she says plainly. Lena hasn’t said it outright, but there’s no way she doesn’t _know_ now. It’s frustrating, the way things have turned out, and while Kara knows this is mostly her own fault, she can’t help the anger she feels towards her clone. “God, I don’t even know how she got all these.”

It must be a trick of the light, but Lena seems to tilt her head a fraction of an inch to the side in sympathy.

“Let’s just go,” Kara mutters, suddenly feeling far too tired. “I know you don’t trust me anymore, but we need to get out of here.”

Right on cue, Russian blares through the speakers, no doubt counting down the remaining minutes before the base explodes.

“Dammit,” Lena hisses. “We don’t have much time left.”

She immediately moves towards the door, the urgency of their escape clearly taking full priority. She doesn’t hesitate in her actions, not even when she grabs Kara’s hand to pull her along.

There’s a desperation to her grasp, Kara notes even as she lets herself be yanked down the hall. Lena’s hold on her is unnecessarily tight, almost as if she’s afraid to let go. There’s also a quiet determination though, one that Kara is sure isn’t just her imagination when Lena glances back with a look of worry.

“I’m right beside you,” Kara reassures her.

_I always will be_ , she silently promises.


	34. Mass Effect 2 AU - Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major spoilers for the opening/intro/prologue/whatever to Mass Effect 2. Read at your own caution. 
> 
> Knowing the source material isn’t necessary.
> 
> This was kind of winged in a night, so please be aware of that and also be aware that there is a 99.9% chance that this is all that I’ll ever write for this LOL

Just another routine mission.

It was supposed to be, at any rate.

Kara Zor-El sighed as she listlessly wandered the hallways of the Argo SR-1. This section of the ship was deserted, and she took the chance to pout out of the sight of her crew members. It was currently Day 44 of their assigned mission to patrol the far reaches of the galaxy, searching for heaven knows what. Today’s results were exactly the same as previous days’: a whole lot of nothing.

Kara sighed again.

She knew going on this mission was her responsibility—she was the one who begged the admiralty to approve it, after all—but she was _bored_. Could something just happen already? Maybe a new planet? A stray meteor? A rainbow in the middle of space? Heck, even a pirate would be great to find right now even though policing and enforcing the peace in this sector wasn’t their main priority.

Naturally, Kara just jinxed her crew by thinking these thoughts.

“Uh, Commander?” Pilot Winn Schott’s voice crackled through her wrist comm. “Ensign Price just picked up an unidentified vessel in our vicinity. Looks like a cruiser, but it doesn’t match any known signals.”

Kara immediately perked up. Maybe she’d get her pirate fight after all. Before she could speak, however, Winn spoke up again, this time in a more panicked voice.

“Commander, the cruiser just changed course. It’s now on intercept trajectory.”

“That can’t be,” Kara frowned. “Our stealth systems are engaged, aren’t they?”

“Affirmative, Commander,” another ensign verified.

Kara blinked, alarms going off in her head. Not even a second passed as she made her decision and began working her way towards the armory.

“Winn,” she ordered as she ran down the hall. “Prepare to evade.”

“On it!” Winn yelled. “Brace for evasive maneuvers!”

Kara placed a hand against the wall to steady herself as the Argo made a dramatic swoop. The rock in her gut only grew in size as she sped up, nearly running into her sister in her haste.

“We should get ready to deploy,” Alex Danvers said, her voice short from urgency. “I don’t like the looks of this—”

“Neither do I—”

To prove their point, the Argo suddenly shook in a manner that was clearly not from Winn’s flying. It rocked back and forth violently, pausingly for only a second before a second impact sent the ship jerking even harder as part of it exploded. Flames immediately burst from one side of the hull, and Kara moved to a nearby console, typing rapidly.

There was no time to waste. There wasn’t even time to think about what was going on or how any ship could cause so much damage so quickly. All Kara knew was that this was a lost cause; it was time to get everyone out of here.

“Distress beacon launched,” she announced. “All hands, evacuate!”

“Will the Alliance get here in time?” Alex asked as she put on her helmet.

Kara nodded as she donned her own gear. “They won’t abandon us. We just need to hold on. Help everyone get to the shuttles.”

Alex immediately moved to assist the crew members stumbling in their direction. She wasn’t one of Kara’s most trusted officers for nothing; she moved efficiently, directing people with a firm voice that belied the confusion and fear Kara knew she felt.

A lieutenant ran up to Kara, panic evident in her eyes. “Winn is still in the cockpit! He says he won’t evacuate!”

Kara turned towards Alex. Even with their visors on, she knew that their eyes had met. “Stick with the crew,” she called out. “I’ll go take care of Winn!”

“I’ll go with you—”

Yet another explosion interrupted Alex, giving Kara the chance to cut in.

“There’s no time,” she shouted. “Go, now!”

Alex visibly hesitated for a split second, no doubt wanting to disobey. She suddenly turned away, though she still made sure to wish for Kara’s safety.

“Be careful,” Alex ordered over her shoulder.

“I always am,” Kara grinned.

With one last look at her sister, Kara sprinted away in the direction of the cockpit.

She ran up a short flight of stairs as steam from a broken pipe hissed around her, clouding her vision. Still, she pressed on, knowing the Argo’s layout by heart. As she got closer and closer to her destination, she picked up Winn’s signal and his attempts to contact anyone within distance.

“Mayday, mayday!” he shouted. “This is the SSV Argo. We’ve suffered heavy damage from an unknown enemy.”

Kara recoiled from a sudden burst of flames that surrounded her arm, but her armor held fast. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for their ship, and Kara could hear the groaning and grinding of metal falling apart.

“C’mon, baby, keep it together. Keep it together!”

Kara’s heart twinged in pain for her ship and her friend as she heard the desperation in Winn’s voice. Still, she continued pushing forward, doing her best to ignore the destruction around her. When she opened the door to the main cabin though, she was forced to face the reality of what was happening to her beloved frigate.

All sound disappeared when Kara stepped onto the command deck as she was fully exposed to the unfeeling indifference of open space. The entire upper hull had been stripped away—blasted away, and debris floated around her, gravity lost, while a distant planet watched on above her.

It was cold and quiet... almost _peaceful,_ Kara thought as she walked slowly to let her gravity boots do their work. It was strangely serene to hear nothing but her own breathing, and she would have stopped to bask in the eeriness of the moment were it not for the fact that she need to escape with Winn.

The cockpit was fortunately still intact, a protective shield keeping Winn out of harm for now. He was still tapping at his console madly, trying to salvage a situation that was impossible to save. Kara grabbed his shoulder and shook it roughly.

“C’mon, Winn, we have to go.”

“No, I won’t leave the Argo! I can still save her!”

Kara swallowed, forcing down the bitterness in her throat.

“The Argo is lost,” she stated. “Going down with her isn’t going to change that.”

“... You’re right,” Winn finally acknowledged. “I… We should go.”

“Let’s go,” Kara agreed softly.

Winn seemed to be in a bit of a daze as he stood up, making his way to the cockpit’s escape pod at long last. Kara followed closely behind, but their attacker clearly had other plans as they opened fire once more, a giant laser ripping into the Argo.

The blast knocked Kara away and she lost her balance as she was sent flying backwards, regaining her bearings only when she hit a wall behind her.

“Commander!” Winn screamed.

Kara looked in his direction only to see a yellow beam still tearing into the Argo, separating them. It didn’t lessen in intensity as precious seconds passed, and Kara instantly realized what she had to do.

With a silent apology to her family and friends, Kara quickly slammed her fist on the red button near the exit pod.

“Kara? Kara!? No!”

The exit hatch closed, sealing Winn from Kara’s sight. Praying that he would be safe, Kara could only float and watch as the laser continued to shred the Argo before another explosion launched her into the abyss of space.

Kara was once again engulfed in silence, distant booms failing to reach her ears. Around her, the Argo was falling apart, fragments and pieces of it drifting about. There was time now to feel the grief of the sudden loss of her ship, and Kara couldn’t help but think of its namesake too.

“I’m sorry,” she said to nobody as the giant cruiser fired again, this time finishing off its target for good.

Kara watched as the Argo vanished in an expanding ball of flames. The combustion grew rapidly, swallowing everything in its reach. It was only a matter of seconds before it reached Kara, yet all she could do was watch.

All she could do was watch as everything became red, then white, then black.

* * *

Beeping? Breathing? Pain.

There’s beeping.

There’s breathing.

There’s pain.

“She’s reacting to outside stimuli… showing an awareness of her surroundings.”

A voice? Female.

“Oh my god, Lena, I think she’s waking up!”

A face? Can’t recognize. Pain.

Beeping faster. Why? Pain.

Breathe, breathe, breathe. Hurts. Must breathe.

“Dammit, Siobhan. She’s not ready. Give her the sedative.”

Another voice? Sharp, angry—

An angel. An angel is here.

Reach. Pain, but an angel is here.

“Kara, don’t try to move.”

The angel is not angry anymore. Soft?

“Just lie still. Try to stay calm.”

Soft. Gentle. Breathe. _Pain_.

“Lena, it’s not working! Her heart rate is still increasing, and her brain activity is off the charts.”

Breathe, breathe… Pain. Get up. Get up. Make the pain stop.

“Kara, it’s okay. Don’t move and just relax… Another dose, now!”

A hand? The angel. There’s pain, but listen. Relax.

“Heart rate is dropping, stats falling back into normal range.”

Pain stopping. The angel is relieved. Relief. Breathe.

“You’ll be okay, Kara... Siobhan, I told you your estimates were off. Run the numbers again.”

Beeping. Breathing. No pain.

There’s beeping.

There’s breathing.

There’s no more pain.

* * *

“Wake up, Commander.”

Kara scrunched her eyes in confusion. Was someone calling her?

“Commander, get up.”

That voice over the intercom was familiar, Kara mused. A face—an incredibly beautiful one—flashed from the murky depths of her memory, but before she could fully form that person in her mind, they interrupted her train of thought.

“Zor-El, if you can hear me, you need to get up. This facility is under attack.”

Kara complied with a groan, sitting up in whatever bed she was laying on. Her body immediately protested, every muscle sore as hell and pain lancing through her face in particular. She grimaced, touching her cheek and feeling distinct scar lines. She didn’t have time to dwell though since the voice spoke up again.

“Zor-El, you aren’t fully healed, but I need you to get moving _now_. This facility is under attack.”

“Wait, what? Oh great,” Kara sighed as the woman’s words finally registered in her head. Her mind was still a jumbled haze of scrambled memories mixed with plenty of confusion, but the urgency of the situation wasn’t lost upon her. She forced herself out of bed as an explosion rocked the room.

“There’s a pistol and your armor in a locker on the other side of the room. Hurry!”

“Sheesh,” Kara muttered. “I’ve had better mornings.”

Despite her grublings, Kara followed the voice ordering her around, opening the locker to find her armor in pristine condition. She suited up easily due to years of habit and grabbed the pistol as instructed.

“Wait,” Kara blinked. “There’s no clip.”

“You’re in a _med bay_ ,” her helper pointed out dryly. “You can find a clip in—Take cover!”

Kara quickly slid behind a table just in time for the lone door in the room to explode open.

“Uh, can you see anything?” she asked, slowly peeking around the corner. “Or do you need me to check?”

“It’s clear,” the intercom announced. “But be careful. Someone has hacked into security and turned the mechs on everyone.”

“What are they after?”

“You. They’re trying to kill you.”

Kara sighed. “Great.”

Just another routine mission.

 


	35. "Boo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to some prompt fills for a bit.

Kara had it all planned perfectly. 

She would sneak up on Lena in her lab (being able to float instead of walk is very handy for this), surprise her overworked girlfriend with a shout (she needs a break), Lena would scream in an utterly adorable way (no matter how much she denies it), Kara would apologize (she already has a bouquet of roses ready), they would laugh it off (free excuse to “make up” by making out), and everything would be fine and dandy… right?

Things actually go pretty smoothly for the first 99% of this operation. L-Corp is used to seeing Kara Danvers wandering about, usually with a bag of takeout or flowers, so nobody bats an eye when she saunters down to the labs with a cheeky grin.

She runs into Sam in the hallway leading to Lena’s personal lab room, but Sam just rolls her eyes and waves Kara on with a fond smile when Kara winks and puts a finger to her lips. 

“Be careful,” Sam warns as they part ways. “She’s _really_ focused right now.”

“She’s always focused,” Kara says dismissively. “Too focused if you asked me.”

Once she’s safely inside Lena’s lab and out of the sight of any cameras, Kara slowly, slowly, _slowly_ floats over to her girlfriend who, bless her soul, does not notice a thing.

Kara grins. 

All according to plan.

“Boo.”

As expected, Lena lets out a shriek. What _isn’t_ as expected is her grabbing her really heavy microscope, somehow swinging it around like a bat, and just clubbing Kara across the side of her face.

“Oh my god!” Lena screams. “Are you okay!?”

“I can’t believe you just did that,” Kara says, more amazed and awed than anything else.

“I can’t believe _you_ just did that,” Lena snaps. Her hands are already rushing to inspect Kara’s face, touching every inch carefully. She even centers Kara’s glasses, which were knocked askew but thankfully incurred no damage. “God, Kara… Everyone knows to knock first when I’m down here.”

Kara grabs Lena’s hands, stopping her thorough but also unnecessary examination. Kissing her girlfriend’s fingers to reassure her, she says, “I’m fine, Lena. Girl of Steel, remember?”

“I remember,” Lena grumbles, though she’s clearly melting under Kara’s touch. “God, you scared me…”

Kara laughs. 

“Surprise!”


	36. “You heard me. Take. It. Off.”

Lena is pissed. And that’s probably an understatement. 

She’s standing squarely in the doorway, blocking the only exit to the room they’re in.

Of course, Kara could just push past her, but that’s the equivalent of throwing gasoline onto an already raging fire, so Kara stays put. 

“Lena, please. I need to do this,” she says quietly.

“No, you don’t,” Lena replies, her voice as cold as ice. Her arms are crossed and she’s practically glaring daggers at this point.

Kara silently grumbles at Alex, who is conveniently absent right now.

“Please,” she tries again. “Nia’s out there fighting them and–”

“And she’ll be fine without you,” Lena cuts in. “You need to take off your suit and rest.”

It would be really nice to chuck a bottle of wine at Alex the next time they hang out, Kara decides. It’s her sister’s fault that Lena’s here, after all.

“Just let me check on Nia?” Kara attempts to bargain, but Lena isn’t buying it.

“No,” is Lena’s immediate and expected answer. “You heard me. Take. It. Off.”

Kara goes for another tactic.

“You want me to strip… right here, right now, right in front of you?” 

That line actually works for a second in which Lena’s glare falters just a bit, a hint of red growing on her cheeks. Kara, even in her weakened state, hears Lena suck in a breath and she internally cheers and files away this information for later. 

And then it backfires.

“Yes, actually,” Lena says, her blush still present but her voice strangely calm.

It’s Kara’s turn to feel embarrassed. “C– Can you at least turn around?” she asks weakly. “It’s not like I can sneak past you right now.”

It takes Lena a suspiciously long while to respond. “Fine,” she agrees at last, turning around to study the door.

Alex chooses that exact moment to open it, walking in to see Lena a strange shade of red and Kara half naked.

“Oh, are you two finally getting it on?” she asks. 

“What? Alex, _no_ –”

“This isn’t what it–”

“Congrats!” Alex says loudly over the two sputtering fools. And then she slams the door shut.

Kara groans.

She really should have gone to help Nia.


	37. Danvers Sisters + "Well this is awkward..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As stated in the title, this particular drabble/prompt focuses on the Danvers Sisters.

Kara is used to being accosted by the media as Supergirl. It’s part of the job, part of the fame, part of what comes with being a superhero, you know?

What she _isn’t_ used to is having a reporter track her down when she’s Kara Danvers. 

“Uh… how may I help you?” she asks, tweaking her glasses out of habit.

“Your sister is Alex Danvers, right? The FBI agent?” the reporter asks. He doesn’t even wait for an answer before plowing on. “You sometimes meet Alex Danvers here for lunch, yes?”

“Yeah–”

“Is she coming here today?”

“I’m not sure,” Kara says, already deciding to shoot Alex a text asking for a venue change. “I think something came up.”

“That’s a shame,” Reporter Dude grumbles before immediately lighting up. “Oh wait, here she is now!”

Kara winces, clearly a minute too slow. She grimaces at Alex, hoping her silent message gets across, but instead of backing away, Alex actually narrows her eyes and approaches the pair waiting outside Noonan’s.

“What’s going on?” she asks cautiously.

RD immediately begins his attack. “You’re Alex Danvers, yes?”

Alex lifts an eyebrow, but that doesn’t deter the man.

RD clears his throat. 

“So what’s it like, dating Supergirl?”

Kara spits out her imaginary drink.

“I’m sorry, _what_?” Alex asks.

“What’s it like being Supergirl’s girlfriend?” the reporter asks, completely oblivious to the sisters’ reactions. “Is she the top everyone thinks she is? Or is she secretly a bottom?”

“What in the– What makes you think we’re together?” Alex practically hisses. She looks just as disturbed as Kara feels, which is _very_.

RD honest to god pulls out an oversized tablet and begins playing a video collage. It features Alex and Supergirl, looking rather _friendly_ with each other on several of their “FBI” and Supergirl team ups. Emphasis on the word “friendly” because that is exactly what their interactions were. Friendly and nothing but.

Perhaps there’s a hidden sisterhood there, but the general populace doesn’t need to know about that.

RD then swipes the video away, pulling up a text document with tiny, tiny font.

“Here is my compiled report that analyzes every moment you have spent with Supergirl. I have examined every word spoken, every breath taken, every look exchanged, and my conclusion is thus: you two must be dating.”

Alex looks like she’s torn between fainting and just… clobbering this guy with his tablet. Kara strongly wants to join her sister in either of those choices, but she has an inkling that any excess input from her side would be dangerous with RD around so she settles for a pained grin.

“Well…” she says. “This is awkward.”

“Tell me about it,” Alex mutters darkly. “Look, pal,” she says to the reporter. “There is nothing going on between us. Our relationship is one of mutual respect, but it is strictly professional.”

“That’s what Lena Luthor said too,” RD says thoughtfully. Then he lights up. “I got it! You three are in a poly relationship!”

“What the FUC–”

“You should go,” Kara says as brightly as possible as she pretends to struggle with holding Alex back from pummeling the guy. “And please don’t contact us ever again.”

When RD finally (wisely) scurries out of sight, Alex sighs loudly.

“I need a drink,” she says.

“It’s the middle of the day, Alex.”

The older Danvers thinks it over for a second before nodding at her sister.

“Correction: I need _two_ drinks.”


	38. “I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.”

“Is there anything you want to tell me?”

Kara’s voice is gentle, not prying. It’s soft, almost a whisper as she cradles Lena in her arms.

It was a bit of an indulgence, asking Kara to stay tonight. Lena had yet another brush with death today, a closer call than usual, and so she gave in to the quiet pleas of her heart and asked Kara to be with her just for a little longer.

“I can stay,” Kara had said. “I can stay as long as you want me to.”

And so here they were, cuddled together on Lena’s couch with nothing but the crackling of her fireplace and the moonlight to accompany them. 

“You can tell me anything, you know,” Kara says, but it’s more of a reminder than a push. Her fingers begin to play with Lena’s hair, slowly combing through the tresses as carefully as the way she speaks. 

Lena chuckles into Kara’s shoulder even as her heart clenches.

“What makes you think I have something to confess?”

She feels Kara breathe out slowly, thoughtfully.

“When we arrested Eve earlier… you looked like you were about to say something.”

Kara’s not wrong. Three words had danced on the tip of Lena’s tongue, just mere inches from tumbling out thanks to the adrenaline and fear from moments before. Relief and gratitude further loosened her lips, and Lena had almost exposed her feelings for her savior in the brief moment they were alone after the encounter. 

But she managed to swallow her words down then, and she manages to do so now, masking her thoughts with a wry smile.

“It wasn’t anything important,” Lena says dismissively.

She wonders if Kara can her her lies through her heartbeat. Unlike the steading pounding Lena feels under her hand, she’s sure her heart is thrumming at a faster, weaker frequency.

“I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.”

Kara’s words are the gentlest of accusations, and Lena is guilty as charged. She freezes, joints locking into a position that’s ready to flee at any given notice. Her throat similarly closes up, and all she can think is _this isn’t how this is supposed to happen_.

This isn’t supposed to happen at all, actually. Lena was fully prepared to take this secret to the grave, locking away her soul’s greed until the day she died. And yet here Kara was, exposing her heart’s desire so easily and so tenderly.

Kara always knew her best, after all.

Lena makes an attempt to get up, to escape the situation, but she’s trapped by the arms of steel around her.

“Kara…”

“You’re kind of oblivious, you know that?” Kara says, and there’s a playful lilt to her voice.

Lena cautiously looks up at the owner of her heart. She doesn’t say anything, afraid to shatter this fragile, liminal moment.

Kara’s smile is the radiant sun, basking down upon Lena as Kara continues speaking.

“You never notice how I look at you when you’re not paying attention,” Kara says, and Lena is sure her heart has been set aflame.

“I love you,” Lena breathes out in a rush, seizing this momentary courage no matter how fleeting it is. “I’m in love with you.”

“Good,” Kara says with a beautifully lopsided grin. “Because I’m in love with you too.”


	39. "You did all of this for me?"

Kara is rarely suspicious of Lena. She’s generally the first to defend her girlfriend if someone so much as makes a snarky comment about the Luthor, and while they’ve had some… bumps in the past regarding trust, they’ve learned from their mistakes and now their bond is stronger than ever.

Still, Kara currently feels _suspicious_ of Lena.

Lena had been all pouty and apologetic when she said she couldn’t make it to Kara’s birthday celebration due to a sudden gala, which is fine. Kara understands how busy Lena is. Her girlfriend, bless her gay heart, had also quietly asked if Supergirl would attend as support, which is also fine.

“I know it’s your birthday and all, but it would mean a lot to me if you could come,” Lena had said. She even placed her hand on Kara’s arm while asking, so how could Kara say no to that?

Except as soon as Supergirl shows up to the gala, she feels _suspicious_.

For one, there’s a distinct lack of polished suits and high class dresses. Kara is used to seeing business people wearing her entire year’s salary while parading around Lena’s charity galas, but they’re all strangely missing tonight. Instead, people are dressed more casually, and she can’t spot a single familiar snob in the crowd.

Secondly, there are… kids? There appear to be quite a few children running around, laughing excitably and whispering with barely contained glee every time they just so happen to wander by Supergirl. O… kay…?

What really sets off the warning bells is Lena’s choice of catering tonight. There’s an entire table dedicated to potstickers and dim sum, a whole gallery of different kinds of pizza, a buffet of ice cream flavors… it’s all stuff that Kara herself loves dearly, but she’s not so sure the average donor would appreciate being served these instead of their usual endless champagne and snooty hors d’oeuvres.

The final nail in the coffin is the fact that Kara is 99% sure their friends are here. They may be giving her a wide berth for some reason, but Kara is willing to bet her apartment that it’s Brainy and Nia over there giggling in a corner and that Alex, J’onn, and Sam are doing a poor impression of Completely Normal Adults over by the drinks.

So yeah. _Suspicious_.

Before Kara has a chance to confront Lena about all this though, a gaggle of kids suddenly take center stage and a massive spotlight focuses on Supergirl.

“Uh… hi?” she says awkwardly to the crowd, waving with her 14th potsticker.

One of the children on stage steps up to the mic and clears her throat. “One… two…”

“Thank you, Supergirl! We love you!”

The shouts of everyone around her are almost overwhelming, and Kara feels her heart swell with more adoration than she thought she could contain. The rest of the night is filled with laughter and tears as various guests come up to her to share how she personally impacted their lives. It’s a little hard to pretend she doesn’t know Alex and co. when they show up for their turn, but it all becomes part of this wonderful memory of a night of appreciation and gratitude.

Kara finally manages to catch up to Lena in her office right before they’re about to head over to Kara’s place for a more private party with the rest of their friends.

“Surprise,” Lena says, looking supremely proud of herself. 

“You did all of this for me?” Kara asks. “Like… everything at this gala… was for me?”

“Of course,” Lena smiles warmly. "I figured it would be nice for National City to get a chance to show how much we appreciate you.”

Kara laughs.

“This is not what I expected when my girlfriend said she had to miss dinner but… thank you,” Kara grins.

“And thank you,” Lena says. “Thank you for everything you do and everything you are.”

Gently, she kisses Kara.

“I love you.”


	40. “Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”

“Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”

Lena groans. It’s far too early for this. Except she can’t exactly ignore the superhero clambering in through the bedroom window.

“I was hoping you’d answer that, actually,” Lena mumbles. She sits up and rubs her eyes, the whole world seeming far too bright. It’s still not as bright as Kara though, she muses. Her best friend filled with endless kindness and unconditional love will always be the brightest to her, even if she’s currently staring slack-jawed for some reason.

“Uh…” Kara’s line of sight seems to be creeping lower and lower until she suddenly snaps her eyes to a spot somewhere about Lena’s head. “Last I checked, you were on my couch? And fully clothed. One-hundred percent clothed.”

Lena frowns, trying to replay last night’s events. “We were drinking,” she recalled. “We were playing a drinking game, weren’t we?”

“Yep,” Kara confirms, now studiously studying the ceiling. “You, uh… lost. Everyone decided to target you for some reason? That’s what Alex told me… _after_ you got super drunk.”

Lena sighs. “That doesn’t explain how I’m naked. In your bed.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Kara immediately defends. “I would never do anything–”

“I know,” Lena interrupts wryly. “I just… can’t figure out how I got here.”

Kara grimaces sympathetically. 

“You were still on the couch when I went out two hours ago, but when I got back…” She gestures vaguely in Lena’s direction, still not looking at her friend.

Lena frowns, thinking as hard as possible. And then she suddenly groans.

“Are you okay!?”

Kara is by her side in an instant, any embarrassment temporarily forgotten as she gingerly cradles Lena’s head. Her touches are featherlight and surprisingly soothing, almost as if she’s capable of gently urging Lena’s hangover away.

“I’m fine,” Lena mutters. She slowly pulls up Kara’s blanket to cover herself better for her friend’s sake, not wanting to startle Kara out of her ministrations. “I just… remembered something.”

“Oh?”

Lena sighs.

“I was dreaming earlier,” she explains carefully. “And in that dream, I got up and went to bed…”

“Except it wasn’t a dream?” Kara guesses.

“Evidently not.” 

Lena conveniently leaves out the part of her dream where her blonde and dashing and kind wife was the one who told her to come to bed, hence her complete lack of clothing. Kara doesn’t need to know about that. 

Except Kara’s inner reporter is apparently too curious to let it go. “So you’re naked because…?”

“I sometimes sleep naked,” Lena lies.

“You sometimes sleep naked,” Kara repeats.

“I sometimes sleep naked, “Lena affirms. 

“Naked,” Kara echoes. Her eyes suddenly go wide. “You’re naked!”

The re-realization of this fact causes Kara to zoom away. She practically bolts to a corner of the room, examining the wall like it’s the most fascinating piece of art in the world. 

Lena would laugh if it wasn’t for the fact that she’s… y’know, naked in her best friend’s bed. The best friend she happens to be pining after. It’s a mess of awkwardness, and her headache has returned in full force, so she simply sighs.

“Can you get me a glass of water?”

“Right away!”

Kara vanishes in a blur, and Lena takes the chance to search the bedroom with her eyes. She can’t find what she’s looking for though, and with a growing sense of dread and mortification, she swallows the last remnants of her pride.

“Kara?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you get my clothes too?”


	41. Brainia + "Hey, have you seen the..? Oh."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This drabble is Brainy x Nia.

“Hey, have you seen the..?” Nia stops in her tracks and blinks. “Oh.”

It’s not every day you come home to see a dude just… standing on your ceiling. In fact, Nia can’t say it’s ever happened before, having someone just casually hanging upside-down in the middle of her apartment. 

Maybe it’s something to get used to, Nia wonders, just like she’s slowly getting used to the notion that she has a boyfriend.

The idea makes her want to squeal in delight even as she edges around said boyfriend. Brainy hasn’t moved an inch from his position, though he smiles warmly when Nia makes her way around to face him.

“You were looking for something?” he prompts.

“Oh yeah, I was looking for my work laptop… but never mind that,” Nia says, peering closely at Brainy’s face. He seems relatively fine and normal for their standards, so she cuts to the chase. “You doing alright up there…?”

“I am fine indeed,” Brainy confirms with a grin. 

“Is there a reason why you’re upside down?”

“Ah, yes,” Brainy says sagely. “I was trying to get a new perspective on things.”

“Right,” Nia nods as though that makes complete, logical sense. “Is it working?”

“Yes, actually,” Brain says, and he even does a small quiver in excitement. “I’ve discovered a new breakthrough on our project that Alex and Lena would be delighted to hear about.”

He makes a move to disengage his feet from the ceiling, but Nia quickly stops him.

“Hold on,” she says placing a hand on Brainy’s shoulder. It’s a little awkward considering the fact that he’s still upside down, but it does the trick and he pauses with a curious look. “I want to try something, if that’s okay?”

“By all means, you are more than welcome.”

“I saw this in a comic book once,” Nia explains breathlessly before gathering her courage and pulling Brainy into an upside down kiss. 

It’s instantly electrifying, just like all their prior kisses have been. Familiar tingles creep up Nia’s spine, though this time there’s a new sense of anticipation and adventure spurring her on as she presses closer to Brainy. His footing is definitely impressive, for he doesn’t lose balance for a single second even though he’s clearly as into this new kiss as Nia is.

When they finally part, Brainy looks impressed.

“That was….  not what I was expecting,” he admits. “But it was nice, very nice.”

“Yeah,” Nia sighs, satisfied. “I guess Spiderman was onto something afterall. 


	42. “Don’t you dare throw that snowba-, goddammit!”

When Kara first oh so innocently suggests that they sort out some of their recent differences with a snowball fight, Lena doesn’t buy it. She’s no fool; she knows she stands no chance against a Kryptonian with superhuman abilities. Only the most arrogant of imbeciles (read: Lex) would take Kara on in a one-on-one snowball fight and imagine that they could win. Lena’s not stupid enough to try, not even when Kara promises to go easy on her.

Seriously, Lena’s no fool.

… Or maybe she is, for she finds herself freezing in the snow not even a week later.

(Lena blames the puppy eyes. It’s always the puppy eyes that get her. (It’s also the fact that Lena’s… y’know, deeply in love with Kara.))

Fortunately, it’s not an entire waste of an afternoon. It’s hard to consider it a waste at all, for Lena gets to witness Kara in all her glee, laughing boisterously and skipping around cheerfully in the snow. So what if she gets grazed by a snowball every now and then? It’s worth it to see the twinkle in Kara’s eyes and the way her girlfriend pretends to be disappointed when she says “Shoot, so close!”

Of course, Lena’s inner competitive streak means that she’s still going to do her best to give Kara as big a challenge as humanly possible. She’s pretty sure she can skip out on exercising for the rest of the month thanks to how much running and dodging and diving she’s doing. Also, her firearm classes appear to have secondary uses, for her aim grows more and more accurate each time she manages to return fire.

An hour into their match and Lena actually manages to _hit_ Kara.

They both instantly freeze, shocked by Lena’s clever and surprisingly effective feint. 

And then Lena smirks.

“Looks like I got the first hit, Miss Danvers,” she says smugly.

“So it seems,” Kara agrees solemnly. She ducks her head, an adorable picture of defeat before her hands suddenly turn into a blur.

“What are you– Kara, _no_ ,” Lena says sharply, backing away when she sees what Kara has produced.

“It’s time to even the odds!” Kara declares with a far too excited grin. She pulls her arm back, ready to launch the largest snowball Lena has ever seen.

“Don’t you dare throw that snowba– goddammit!”

To nobody’s surprise, it hits Lena squarely in her face. She doesn’t bother fighting her fate, instead letting gravity do its thing as she falls to the ground. The snow cushions her enough so that she doesn’t feel any pain, and she sighs as she lays there, surrounded by white.

“Lena?”

Kara’s face appears in less than a second, blocking Lena’s view of the sky. She vastly prefers this, she thinks, as Kara frowns down at her.

“Are you okay?” Kara asks, her eyebrows creased with worry. “I didn’t hurt you, did I? I tried to make sure I didn’t throw too hard–”

“I’m fine, Kara,” Lena says gently. “Help me up?”

Kara, ever the gentlewoman, immediately offers her hand. Lena takes it, but she also takes the chance to launch her own surprise attack.

“You need to eat more vegetables!” she shouts as she shoves an armful of snow right in Kara’s face.

Kara bursts into laughter, filling Lena’s heart with warmth.

“Fine, fine!” Kara chuckles as she shakes snow off her jacket. She grabs Lena’s hand before her girlfriend can flee, kissing it gently to signal the end of their battle. “Anything for you, Lena. Anything for you.”


	43. “Come over here and make me.”

“You hang up first.”

“No, _you_ hang up first.”

“… We’ll hang up on three?”

“Okay. One, two, three…”

“… You didn’t hang up, did you?”

“Neither did you!”

Lena giggles into her phone, its receiver pressed closely to her ear. 

“Guilty as charged,” she admits shamelessly. 

The day’s exhaustion is easily forgotten as Kara also laughs, the sound acting as a salve for Lena’s soul. Even through the gritty quality that comes with talking through cellphones, Kara’s voice rings loud and clear, resonating inside Lena’s chest. 

Still, it _is_ pretty late and they’ve had these conversations repeatedly the fast few days. Heaven knows that Lillian would think, seeing her daughter stay up all night just to talk to her new girlfriend. That doesn’t bother Lena nearly as much as it should, though she is concerned over keeping Kara up.

“You really should rest,” Lena chides gently, loath as she is to sever her current connection with Kara. “Don’t you have an interview tomorrow?”

“Yeah… But you need to rest too!” Kara insists. “I’m not going to sleep until you’ve gone to sleep.”

“I’ll go to sleep if you hang up,” Lena says, and she can already tell that they’re going to repeat the same conversation they’ve had for the last five minutes.

Sure enough, Kara half sighs, half chuckles. “You hang up first.”

“Come over here and make me,” Lena jokingly taunts.

“… Okay.”

Lena blinks. The line is silent save for a suspicious rustling, then the unmistakable and familiar sound of wind. She continues listening and after another minute, there’s a tap on her balcony window.

“Good evening, Miss Luthor,” Supergirl greets with a cheeky grin. She holds out her hand. “May I have your phone, please?”

Lena turns it over wordlessly, too shocked and amused to bother fighting back. As Kara triumphantly presses the red symbol to end their call, Lena’s eyes glance at the duffel bag hoisted over Kara’s shoulder.

“I know we usually have our sleepovers on Friday, but since I’m here…” Kara trails off, lifting the bag hopefully. 

Lena smiles. She can already tell she’s going to sleep really well tonight, surrounded by the warmth of her best friend and girlfriend. There’s no way she could reject Kara anyways, not after she flew all this way, so it’s honestly a no brainer to invite her in.

“You’re always welcome here,” Lena says. “Always.”

“I might make you regret saying that,” Kara jokes. 

Lena pretends to consider this. “I might… if we end up spending the whole night talking instead of sleeping.”

“My lips are sealed,” Kara says solemnly, pretending to zip her mouth shut.

“Good.”

“Wait, one last thing,” Kara interjects suddenly right as they’re about to climb into bed.

She zooms over to Lena, gently grabbing her shoulders. Slowly, carefully, and sweetly, she leans forward to press her lips against Lena’s forehead, holding them there for brief but deeply satisfying moment.

“Goodnight,” she says softly when they finally part.

Lena smiles.

“Goodnight.”


	44. “Well this is awkward…”

Kara may not be well-versed in all the conventions of being a human, but she is pretty sure that most people do not give their friends $20,000.00 rings.

Her eyes nearly pop out when she manages to wheedle its value out of Lena. 

“It’s because it’s made out of the new alloy we’re using in our partnership with NASA,” Lena explains with a hint of pride. “That way, you don’t have to worry about it getting scratched or damaged while you’re out doing your reporter things.”

Kara doesn’t manage to pick up her jaw in time, too flabbergasted and awed to refuse the gift. Besides, the words “Kara” + “rejects Lena” don’t really go together in her world, so that’s how she winds up with a twenty thousand dollar ring.

Alex spits out her drink in an impressive fountain of red when she sees the object sitting on Kara’s finger.

“It’s a friendship ring!” Kara explains before her sister inevitably gets the wrong idea.

“Uh huh.”

“Lena gave it to me.”

“ _Uh huh_.”

“Are you just going to keep saying uh huh?”

“Uh huh–”

“Alex!”

“Well, be careful with your _friendship_ ring,” Alex warns with a strangely amused look on her face. “You don’t want to lose it.”

Sure enough, Kara almost loses it the next morning. It somehow flies off her bedside table in her haste to smash– turn off her alarm, and she nearly breaks her bed in her haste to lift it and find the ring. She locates it fairly quickly, no scratches or anything as Lena promised, but Kara briefly wonders if it would be best to just keep it in a safe, somewhere far away from harm and displacement.

Kara ultimately decides against it; it feels _wrong_ to lock away such a valuable gift from Lena. Maybe she’s overthinking it, but it almost feels like locking away Lena’s affection, Lena’s friendship, Lena’s _care_ , and there’s no way Kara would stand for that. 

Thus, Kara slips the ring back on her finger where it fits snugly, almost as though it was always meant to be there. She wears it throughout her day, its gentle pressure and weight a constant, reassuring reminder of her friend. 

The ring almost feels like some sort of magical charm, actually, protecting and guiding Kara as she takes on a group of mercenaries that try to raid L Corp. Even though they come armed with alien guns, Kara easily wipes the floor with them, arresting every single member in record time. She can’t help the confident grin she sports when she’s interviewed by Nia; it really feels like she’s on top of the world today.

Even Lena appears to have noticed.

“You really gave my brother’s men a run for their money today,” she smirks when Supergirl shows up to “check in” on her. “Thank you for your help, Supergirl.”

Kara puffs out her chest a bit.

“Just doing my job,” she says proudly, throwing in a wink for good effect. 

Lena laughs, further boosting Kara’s ego until she suddenly freezes, her eyes locking onto Kara’s left hip.

More accurately, Lena’s staring at the hand that’s placed on Kara’s hip. The hand that’s currently wearing a ring.

Sirens immediately go off in Kara’s head, and she’s suddenly very glad that Lena doesn’t have any swords on display in her office.

Sure enough, when Lena next speaks, her voice is filled with so much ice that even Kara, a so-called human furnace, feels cold.

“Why are you wearing the ring I gave Kara?”

“Uh…”

Supergirl wracks her brains, searching for a good excuse that doesn’t throw herself under the bus.

“Well,” Supergirl finally says after an entire minute. “… This is awkward.”


	45. “Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.”

Lena’s apartment is completely dark when she steps inside. 

She’s not exactly surprised, per se, though she did expect a little more illumination due to the fact that there should already be someone inside, waiting for her. The notion of someone to come home to sends a flutter of _something_ through her gut, but Lena shoves it aside; there are more serious matters than her heart’s whims to deal with right now.

She doesn’t bother turning on the lights, respecting her friend’s choice to stay in the darkness. Instead, she lets her eyes adjust to the dim glow provided by the distant cityscape that highlights the edges of her apartment through the windows.

That’s where she finds Kara.

Kara sits quietly on a windowsill, glasses off and hair down as she silently observes the city below. She looks contemplative, morose, _sad_ as she hugs her knees to her chest, not saying a single word. In spite of this, her eyes are as bright and clear as ever when she turns from gazing out at National City to looking at Lena.

Lena’s breath almost catches in her throat because Kara is _beautiful_. The realization only serves to break her heart further for she knows how much pain Kara is in right now.

“I heard about what happened to Martin Westbrook,” Lena says softly, taking a seat across her friend.  


“I killed him,” Kara replies. She sounds tired, exhausted, but there’s a clear frustration lingering within her voice.  


“He killed himself,” Lena corrects gently but firmly.  


“Because of that article I wrote.”  


Lena sighs in sympathy.

“You were doing your job,” she points out. “You were getting the truth out there, the truth people needed to know.”  


“And he killed himself because I did that,” Kara says, eyes darting back to the streets below.  


“That was his choice,” Lena states. She carefully places a hand on Kara’s knee. “He made that choice instead of facing justice, and that’s not your fault.”  


“Maybe if I had gone about it another way, tried another approach–”  


“Kara," Lena cuts in. “Kara. You can’t save everyone. You can’t help everyone. You told me that once, remember?”  


Kara gives a single nod.

“Think about all the people you _did_ save,” Lena continues. “All those employees he exploited, all the workers he abused, all the people he practically enslaved... You saved them, Kara. By exposing the truth, you saved them.”  


“I just wish...” Kara sighs. “I just wish he didn’t have to _die_ for it.”  


“I know,” Lena murmurs sympathetically. “But you did what you thought was right, didn’t you? You did your best.”  


Kara gives a noncommittal hum before sighing again.

“Thank you for being here,” she says, clearly changing the topic. “Thank you for letting me be here. I know you had a lot of work today.”  


Lena reaches out, this time taking Kara’s hand.

“Hey, I’m with you, okay?” she says. “Always.”  


A ghost of a smile appears on Kara’s face.

“Always.”  



	46. "Tell me a secret."

“Tell me a secret,” Kara mumbles against Lena’s neck.

Lena chuckles.

It’s not every day she gets to see Kara like this, all cuddly and drunk. Convincing Kara to take some time off and unwind in the local alien bar was quite the challenge (it took several of the Superfriends plus Lena’s best impression of Kara’s puppy eyes), but the effort seems well worth it. Kara has been giggling happily for the past few hours, and she’s been practically glued to Lena’s side for the last two. 

“I thought we agreed no more secrets,” Lena points out, amused when Kara’s face scrunches up.

“Yeah, but I’m not talking about… y’know, deep, dark, mean secrets,” Kara grumbles, her voice dropping to a lower register to emphasize her point. “I’m talking about like… stuff I don’t know about you.”

“You know a lot about me already.”

“Yeah, but I wanna know _everything_.” Kara sits up surprisingly straight, her expression completely serious as she gazes at Lena with a clarity that belies her current tipsiness. “I want to know all about you, Lena.”

Lena coughs lightly, hoping Kara doesn’t notice the tiny blush creeping onto her cheeks.

“Well,” Lena says slowly. “There is something you don’t know…”

Kara’s eyes light up in excitement, and Lena almost feels bad for what she’s about to say next.

Almost.

“I was the one who ate your last donut two weeks ago,” Lena confesses. “It wasn’t Alex; it was me.”

Kara’s jaw drops. Lena’s glad that she has perfected the art of the poker face, for Kara looks so downright _offended_ that Lena almost bursts out in laughter. She does feel a little bad though, and a part of her acknowledges that this is probably it; this is the end of their friendship for tonight. 

“Sorry,” she apologizes belatedly. “I know you were looking forward to it but–”

“Was it worth it?” Kara interrupts, voice quiet. “Did it taste good?”

“Yes.”

Kara leans forward a fraction of an inch.

“Did it make you happy?” she asks seriously. 

Lena nods. “It did.”

Kara’s grave expression immediately gives way to one of the most blinding smiles Lena has ever witnessed in all twenty-plus years of her life. It’s radiant, dazzling, almost overwhelming, and Lena thinks she could just die here with no regrets.

Maybe the alcohol is starting to get to her too.

“If it made you happy, then that’s okay,” Kara states, still beaming. “Your happiness is all that matters.”

“Your happiness matters too,” Lena manages to say despite the sudden lump in her throat. 

“Seeing you happy makes _me_ happy,” Kara grins. She slings an arm around Lena’s shoulder, pulling her close. “I love you, Lena.”

Lena’s heart skips a beat, and she can’t help but wonder– _imagine_ that her feelings might be reciprocated after all. Kara’s looking at her with such fondness, such kindness though, and Lena decides that it doesn’t matter tonight. It doesn’t matter what form of love Kara means, so long as she is willing to give it to Lena.

“Me too,” Lena whispers. “I love you too.”


	47. "I almost lost you."

Kara’s footsteps are heavy, quickened by panic as she sprints through National City’s largest park. She searches left and right, narrowly avoiding collision with several people. Normally, she’d issue an apology, but right now there are far more important things at stake.

“Oh my GOSH,” Kara exclaims, skidding to a halt when she finally finds her quarry. “There you are!”

Krypto turns to look at her, ever the picture of innocent confusion as he wags his tail slowly. He’s sitting calmly under the shade of a tree, and he even tilts his head as if to say “Where were you? Why did you take so long to get here?”

Kara plants her hands on her hips.

“Don’t run away from me like that,” she scolds. “I almost lost you!”

“Don’t worry, your dog stayed put… as soon as he finished eating my hotdog, that is,” a female voice says from nearby.

Kara gives a start, already feeling guilty for Krypto’s actions. So his one-time act of rebellion was because she refused to share her lunch this once, huh? She turns around, ready to apologize for her dog’s impulsive and rude behavior.

And then her jaw drops.

Words? What are words but a feeble and inadequate mortal human construct when compared to the beauty and radiance of a goddess? Indeed, all of Kara’s language faculties have clearly ground to a halt as she stares at the angel before her. Her mouth even opens and closes several times like a fish out of water to further emphasize how she currently cannot string together even two letters.

“… Are you okay?” the devastatingly gorgeous woman asks.

Kara nods. “Uh… Uh huh,” she finally manages to utter. 

The woman smiles sympathetically. “Don’t worry, I’m not mad or anything. Your dog is actually quite the gentleman when he wants to be.”

Krypto barks in agreement. 

“Y– Yeah,” Kara finally stammers. “You’re pretty– I mean he’s pretty obedient usually…”

“I guess my friend’s homemade hotdogs are to die for then?”

The woman chuckles, and Kara wonders if she somehow tripped and died and went to heaven or something. She almost forgets to apologize as she continues to stare with sparkles in her eyes, but a soft “boof” from Krypto reminds her of the current situation.

“I’m so, so, so sorry about that!” Kara says in a flurry of words. “Really, he has never run away from me like that before. I’m really sorry about your lunch. Can I make it up to you somehow? Uh, buy you a coffee? Wait, no, should I get you takeout? Or I can try to make you another hotdog? I mean I can’t really cook but–”

“You can start by giving me your name,” the woman interrupts, much to Kara’s relief.

“I’m Kara,” she says breathlessly. “Kara Danvers.”

The woman smiles.

“And I’m Lena. Lena Luthor.”

Kara’s jaw drops again.

So not only did Krypto ditch her… he went and stole the lunch of the richest person in America? Who also happens to be the prettiest person on the planet? Kara doesn’t know whether to blame or thank her dog for this once-in-a-lifetime situation. 

“Now, about how you can repay me…” Lena says slowly.

“Y– Y– Yeah?”

Lena’s amused smile turns just a bit hesitant, and Kara practically wants to squee at the hint of shyness she sees. She almost faints when Lena nervously bites her lower lip. 

“Your dog is really adorable,” Lena finally says after a pause. “I would like to see him again so… could I perhaps have your number?”

Kara’s jaw drops for the third time.

She doesn’t manage to pick it back up for the next few minutes, though she somehow manages to scribble down her number correctly despite staring at Lena like some lovestruck idiot. Even when Lena takes her leave, Kara waves with her mouth still wide open in disbelief.

“Did that seriously just happen?” she asks Krypto, who gives a happy bark.

So maybe not sharing her lunch was a good thing after all.


	48. "I'm pregnant."

“I’m pregnant!”

Lena freezes, her foot still in the air as she stares in the direction of their living room.

“I’m sorry, _what_?” she calls out.

“I’m _pregnant_ ,” Kara moans again. 

Lena has half a mind to just turn around and leave the apartment. Maybe if she comes back a few minutes later, this weird alternate dimension will have gone away. She can only hope, because she’s pretty sure that blowing out your powers does not mean that you magically get _pregnant_.

But she can’t exactly abandon Kara, now can she? Alternate dimension or not, it’s _Kara_ , and Lena can’t just walk away from Kara in a time of need.

Lena exhales slowly and sets down her bag. She kicks off her heels and squares her shoulders, doing her best to channel Supergirl’s courageous sense of duty as she walks into the living room.

And there she is: Kara Danvers, the love of Lena’s life, her shining beacon of hope, her personal hero… who’s apparently _pregnant_.

Kara’s currently laying sprawled out on their sofa, the picture of abject misery as she frowns and squirms with very clear discomfort. There’s a half-eaten pizza and several more empty boxes next to her, but she almost looks like she’s trying _not_ to look at them for some reason.

“I feel so bloated,” Kara whines. She turns towards Lena with a petulant expression, but for once she doesn’t get up to physically greet her girlfriend.

“That’s… probably normal,” Lena says carefully. 

“I shouldn’t have eaten so much,” Kara bemoans. 

“Aren’t you _supposed_ to…?”

“Yeah, but probably not _this_ much.” Kara grimaces at the remains of her gluttony. “I don’t normally eat this much after I blow out my powers but today I just decided, hey! Let’s just pig out! And now I regret _everything_.”

Lena chews her lip thoughtfully. She really isn’t sure how to navigate this topic; her girlfriend suddenly getting pregnant really isn’t something she’s familiar with, and she doesn’t want to accidentally step on a landmine. Still, they probably do have to properly discuss the issue sooner or later.

“You’re eating for two now,” Lena says as gently as possible. “So it’s totally normal to–”

“Huh?”

Kara blinks blankly at Lena, who stares back just as confused.

“Eating for two?” Kara repeats.

“Yes? Isn’t that what a pregnancy kind of is?” 

“Pregnancy?” Kara’s jaw drops. “Who’s pregnant?”

“You are, aren’t you?”

“I am!?”

“That’s what you said as soon as I walked in,” Lena points out, her confusion already slowly getting replaced with a familiar, fond kind of exasperation.

“I said that?” Kara frowns in thought, but then she suddenly lets out a groan. “Oh my gosh, Lena…”

Lena sighs. “Yes?”

“I didn’t mean it _literally.”_

Lena blinks. Then she slowly lifts her hand to her face.

Kara actually has the audacity to laugh.

“Sorry,” she chuckles. “I meant I _feel_ kinda pregnant… like I’m pretty sure my abs have turned into a food ballon.”

“A food balloon,” Lena echoes. She drops onto the empty side of the couch, already worn out from this accidental rollercoaster ride. “ _A food balloon_ … Why am I dating you again?”

“Not for my abs, I hope.”

Lena shoves Kara’s leg with her foot.

“Are you okay though?” she asks softly. “I know it sucks when you blow out your powers.”

Kara pouts. 

“It does suck,” she agrees. “But Nia and Alex have the city covered and my workaholic girlfriend is home so… Ugh, I just wish I didn’t eat so much.”

“I never thought I’d ever hear you say that,” Lena chuckles. “Kara Danvers, eating too much… What’s next? Are you going to swear off of pizza?”

Kara gasps, offended.

“Never!”


	49. "It could be worse."

It’s… not great being locked in a room.

It’s _really_ not great being locked in a room because your powers are somehow being blocked.

It’s just _bad_ being locked in a room with no powers with your best friend who is mad at you.

It’s outright _terrible_  being locked in a room with no powers with your best friend who is mad at you when you are hopelessly in love with her.

Kara sighs. 

“This sucks,” she grumbles. 

“Tell me about it,” Lena snaps in a way that clearly says “Don’t tell me about it.”

“We really should have taken the other hallway, huh? Not that I’m blaming you or anything,” Kara adds hastily when Lena turns to her with fire in her eyes.

Lena rolls her eyes. “At least we didn’t get ourselves killed.”

“Or worse, expelled,” Kara mumbles.

“… Did you just–”

“Sorry.”

This time Lena is the one to sigh.

“It could be worse, I guess,” she mutters, and if Kara had dog ears they would perk up at this tentative olive branch. “At least I’m not stuck with Eve or someone.”

“Someone like Morgan Edge?” Kara asks with a grin.

Lena grimaces like she just smelled a rotting skunk. 

“God, at least Eve would be entertaining… Edge would just make me want to rip my ears off.”

“I think it would be easier to just knock him out,” Kara points out. “Instant peace and quiet.”

“That would be immensely satisfying,” Lena agrees. “Though I can’t imagine ever infiltrating one of Lex’s bases with him.”

Kara snorts.

“You’d have to watch your back the entire time, huh?” She then pauses before asking a question in the most casual voice she can muster. “So… uh… who would you want to be stuck here with? If you had a choice, I mean.”

Lena blinks before slowly crossing her arms.

“You.”

“… What was that?”

“You heard me,” Lena says with a glare, though there’s not as much bite in her words. In fact, if Kara had a tail right now, it would be wagging quite happily.

“I’m your first choice, huh?” Kara grins. “Glad to know I’m still your favorite.”

“Don’t be so smug,” Lena retorts. “I’m still mad at you.”

Kara deflates a little. 

“Should we… uh… talk about it?” she suggests cautiously. “I mean it’s not like we have anything else to do until Alex gets here.”

“No,” Lena immediately replies. “We are going get out of here, I am going to go home and relax, and you are going to stop by at 9pm. _Then_ we can talk.”

Kara glances at the smooth metal walls surrounding them. “I sure hope I can make it in time…”

“You’d better. I didn’t cancel a conference call tonight for nothing,” Lena says, narrowing her eyes.

“… You actually scheduled a time for us to talk?”

Lena shifts on her feet with a sigh.

“I do miss you,” she admits quietly. “And I’m tired of being angry and confused. You owe me a lot of answers.”

Kara nods. 

“I understand,” she says. “And I’ll answer whatever questions you have… just not while we’re in Lex’s tin can of a room, I guess?”

“Exactly,” Lena grumbles. “Seriously, how did he make this room with literally no door and no seams?”

“Beats me,” Kara pouts. She randomly kicks a corner of the room in frustration.

There’s a click.

Kara and Lena simultaneously turn to each other, mouths hanging slightly open as a portion of the wall retracts. It slides away, silently forming a square hole roughly two inches wide. The pair slowly lean in closer to peer inside.

There’s a button.

“… God, I hate my brother.”


	50. “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

Kara my not have the superpower of being able to predict the future, but she is pretty sure she’ll never get tired of how _amazing_ Lena Luthor is.

Truth be told, she has pretty much always been impressed by her girlfriend, going all starry-eyed from their very first meeting. The subsequent months of getting to know each other turned that awe into pride and then eventually into love, and that’s how Kara found herself where she is today: attending one of Lena’s gala as her unofficial plus one and secret girlfriend.

Kara doesn’t mind the subterfuge and lack of transparency regarding their relationship; it keeps unwanted attention away from her reporter side, and National City won’t explode over the notion of a Super and a Luthor dating.

Plus, it also means that Supergirl gets to tell all the guests how wonderful Lena is without them thinking she’s unfairly biased.

For the record, Kara _isn’t_ biased. It’s just fact that Lena Luthor is a wonder of the world, filled with so much kindness and determination despite the things she’s been forced to go through. Only someone with her intelligence and goodness (and wealth) would bother funding literally thousands of hospitals around the world.

Supergirl has spent the past few galas reminding people of this, doing her best to drum up support for Lena’s global initiative while also serving as an extra layer of security. She’s actually been quite successful so far, and tonight is no exception. There’s a woman, Miss Sato, who has been hanging on her every word for the past hour, and Kara suspects she’s someone of importance considering how Lena keeps glancing over at the two of them.

… She’s not so sure about that when, at the end of the night, Lena greets her with a frown.

“Are you okay?” Kara asks cautiously. A seed of worry begins to bloom, and she wonders if she missed some jerk being mean to Lena while she was conversing with Miss Sato.

“I’m fine,” Lena says.

“Are you sure…?”

For a second, it looks as though Lena is about to answer with a firm yes that would end this conversation before it really started, but she seems to catch herself before saying anything. She peers up at Kara with a sort of hesitation, so Kara does her best to give a reassuring smile. 

“What were you and Miss Sato discussing tonight?” Lena finally asks. “I think you were talking to her for over an hour.”

“We were talking about you,” Kara says, beaming proudly.

“And…?”

Kara blinks.

“And… uh… You?” Lena might have heard something that Kara overlooked, so she does her best to rewind the events of the night, trying to find anything that sticks out. “We talked about you, L-Corp’s newest line of MRI machines, uh… more about how great you are, a bit about her hometown and… Oh!”

Kara snaps her fingers in triumph.

“She didn’t say it outright, but I’m pretty sure Miss Sato wants to invest in your Asia branch of operations,” she declares, feeling a little smug from playing her part in helping her girlfriend.

Except Lena doesn’t look pleased. In fact, her eyes are narrowed suspiciously and her arms are crossed now, a really bad sign for Kara who seriously has no idea what she’s done wrong.

“She’s not a criminal, is she…?” Kara asks. “Oh no, is she a competitor? A rival?”

“No, no, and no,” Lena sighs. “She’s one of the most reputable people I’ve ever met. But you’re sure that’s all you talked about?”

“Yeah,” Kara nods. She carefully takes one of Lena’s hands. “Seriously, is something wrong?”

Lena shakes her head, giving a gentle squeeze.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she says with a wry smile. “I just thought it was a little… strange, seeing you two talk for almost two hours.”

“Miss Sato is a really good conversationalist,” Kara grins. “I think she’s almost as smart as you, actually.

Maybe Kara just imagined it, but did Lena’s eyes just narrow again? She shrugs off the notion, opting to share some more trivia with her girlfriend. 

“Y’know, Miss Sato actually has green eyes just like you,” Kara says. “And I think she mentioned being one of the top researchers for this electrical engin–”

Lena’s hold on her hand suddenly becomes a death grip. It doesn’t hurt Kara in the least, but it certainly stops her in her tracks, cutting off her spiel. Kara stares cluelessly at Lena, whose lips are currently a thin line.

“Sorry, you must be tired, right?” Kara realizes. “We can talk about this later–”

“No, we can talk about this now,” Lena says snippily. “Please, continue telling me about Miss Sato.”

Kara blinks.

“Wait a minute,” she says slowly, her brain finally on the right track. “Are you jealous?”

Lena scoffs. 

“Of course not,” she says, withdrawing her hand to cross her arms. She doesn’t look at her girlfriend, a clear sign that she’s lying.

“Oh my gosh,” Kara grins. “You _are_ jealous! You’ve been asking me about Miss Sato because you’re _jealous_.”

Lena clears her throat, doing her best to look Kara squarely in the eyes as she tries to assert her innocence again. 

“I. Am. Not. Jeal– Oh for heaven’s sake, Kara.”

Kara cackles loudly, extremely amused by the situation. Lena’s frowning again thanks to Kara’s glee, but this only serves to make Kara laugh even harder.

“You’re adorable, you know that?” Kara chuckles. She pulls Lena into a hug, ignoring the disgruntled, half-hearted sound of protest she hears. “You’re so cute, Lena.”

“I am not cute,” Lena mumbles into Kara’s shoulder. 

“Riiiight, just like how you’re not jealous.”

Lena hits Kara’s chest lightly before wrapping her arms around her hero.

“I knew I was overthinking it,” she grumbles. 

Kara smiles.

“You know there’s only room for you in my heart, right?” she reminds her girlfriend. “Besides, people should be jealous of you, not the other way around.”

“Why, because I’m dating Supergirl?” Lena jokes.

“No!” Kara pauses. “Well, actually, they can be jealous of that too, but like… they should be jealous because you’re you, Lena. You’re just… _amazing_.”

“More amazing than Miss Sato?”

“Way more amazing,” Kara agrees. "You’re _super_ amazing. The absolute most amazing-est.”

Lena giggles, filling Kara with a warm contentment.

“You’re amazing too, you know,” Lena says softly. “Thank you.”


	51. "Just once."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is/was basically a draft of an excerpt/outtake/part of [It's selfish (but I love you)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19232887), a Hanahaki Disease AU.

“Have you ever been in love?”

Lena began regretting her question as soon as it left her mouth. It had slipped out inadvertently, leaking out against her will the moment she let down her guard. 

She hated that part of herself sometimes, that perpetually curious side of her that yearned to know everything. It was particularly drawn to Kara as of late and while Lena understood _why_ , it certainly didn’t make anything easier nor did it soothe the ever-present sting in her chest. Instead, all it did was ask questions that probably shouldn’t be asked, deliberately aggravating the agony inside her lungs all for the sake of morsels of information that could feed the masochistic longing in her heart.

Lena quietly hid a cough.

She watched as Kara slowly turned away from the stove, her head tilted at a contemplative angle while she considered what Lena just said.

“Have I ever been in love?” Kara echoed thoughtfully. She shifted slightly on her feet as she stared at Lena, no expression on her face.

“Sorry,” Lena mumbled. “I know that was a weird question–”

“Just once.”

Lena blinked. 

Kara was smiling now, the faintest upturn to her lips, and she was gazing at Lena with a strange weight in her eyes that made Lena wonder if Kara could see through her, see the garden growing inside her.

“Just once,” Kara repeated softly. 

Against her better judgement, Lena fought back against the gravel in her throat to ask, “What happened?”

Kara chuckled, ducking her head. 

“I don’t know,” she said after a pause. She glanced around Lena’s kitchen, almost as if she was searching for some answer written on the walls. She gave up quickly though, shrugging halfheartedly. “I don’t know.”

Lena nodded as she inwardly berated herself, sensing that Kara could not or would not elaborate further. The growing itch in her throat was becoming far too distracting anyways, so Lena stood up from her seat at the kitchen counter while willing down the object trying to force its way up her windpipe.

“Sorry,” she rasped out. “I think I need to use the bathro–”

“Hold on.”

Kara suddenly reached over the counter, grabbing Lena by the arm firmly. She frowned, a deep crease between her eyebrows as she studied Lena’s face.

“Are you sure this is just a cold?” Kara asked, worry in every syllable. “You looked like you were about to throw up for a second there…”

“I’m fine, Kara,” Lena lied. She smiled reassuringly. “Really, it’s just a small cough. It’ll go away.”

“Don’t let it get worse,” Kara warned, releasing her grip. “Let me know if you get a fever or anything, okay?”

“You might as well stay here if you’re so insistent on nursing me,” Lena joked.

“Don’t tempt me,” Kara grinned mischievously. Her expression gave way to yet another indiscernible, gentle smile. “I care about you, okay?”

Lena swallowed down a petal.

“Thank you,” she said hoarsely. “Thank you.”


	52. "Teach me how to play?"

Although Kara may be blonde, she’s certainly not dumb.

She regularly does well in all her classes, often getting top scores no matter the subject. Science and math aren’t a challenge to her thanks to her upbringing, and she also excels in fine arts and the humanities due to her natural inclination towards those topics. Her GPA is nice and shiny and she’d have straight As for the semester if it wasn’t for one class:

Quantum Mechanics.

Now, Kara _could_ be acing that class if she wanted to… but she doesn’t actually want to. In fact, she’s been deliberately doing her best to get second place on tests, and due to the way the class is curved, that has temporarily pulled her grade down to a B+.

But that’s okay. A B+ is totally worth it considering how Lena Luthor always lifts her head in pride whenever she gets the top scores on all their quizzes.

That jawline is to die for, okay?

That B+ is even more worth it when Lena Luthor randomly offers to tutor Kara out of the blue one day.

“It must be frustrating, always missing a question or two,” Lena says softly to a open-mouthed Kara. “I can try to help you, if you’d like?”

Kara can’t say no to a beautiful woman, not when that beautiful woman has been her crush for the past few years she’s been at NCU, so Kara readily accepts when she finally manages to find her vocabulary again.

For some reason, Lena choses to go with Kara’s dorm as their meeting place. Kara doesn’t mind, though she spends the entire day before their not-date cleaning every inch of her room, vacuuming every corner and even scrubbing the ceiling. 

“She’s not gonna hate you if you miss a speck of dust or something,” Alex points out dryly as she lounges (rather uselessly) on Kara’s bed.

“I missed a speck of dust? WHERE?”

For all her preparations though, Kara nearly bungles their study session when she misses the knock on her door at their appointed time.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry,” she apologizes breathlessly when she finally lets Lena in. “I was playing a game with my sister to ease my nerves– I mean, uh, to relax and I had my headphones on and–”

“It’s okay,” Lena says, ever so kindly. Kara’s pretty sure she could die from the gentle smile Lena gives her. “What game were you playing?”

“Uh… It’s called WatchOver, don’t know if you’ve heard about it before?”

Lena giggles, and Kara wants to faint from the notion of Lena Freakin’ Luthor giggling so adorably in her room. 

“I have, actually,” Lena says. “My brother used to play a lot before he was… ah, banned for cheating.”

“Oh,” Kara frowns sympathetically. She wracks her brains for something comforting to say, but true to standard, words elude her whenever Lena is around.

Thankfully, Lena beats her to the punch.

“Teach me how to play?”

Kara blinks. “Wuh– What?”

“Teach me how to play WatchOver?” Lena asks. She looks a little shy and hesitant, and a part of Kara goes to heaven. 

“I would be more than happy to do so!” Kara’s autopilot says. She even puffs out her chest a little, ready to show off her skills and impress her crush.

Except she loads up the game… and Lena kills her.

Kara respawns, a little confused… and Lena kills her again.

Kara sits up properly, leaning forward to focus… and Lena kills her again.

And again. And again. And again. And again.

Right as Kara is about to ask if Lena’s _really_ never played before, Lena laughs.

“You know, you don’t have to go easy on me just because I’m a beginner,” Lena says.

Kara’s jaw drops. She wonders if it’s possible to crush any harder on Lena because holy cow, what _can’t_ this woman do?

And then an idea pops into her head.

“Hey,” Kara says casually. “Let me text my sister. We should all play together.”

It’s not until Kara and Lena’s wedding day that Alex finally forgives her.


	53. “Hey! I was going to eat that!” + “Kiss me.”

One of Kara’s favorite things about Earth is the cuisine. Humans can get pretty inventive with their food, and one of Kara’s favorite creations is chocolate-covered fruits. The mix of flavors, the different kinds of sweetness, the succulence… it all blends into a symphony of flavor. Plus, chocolate is just really great comfort food, especially when Snapper keeps shoving assignments at her and National City’s criminals have decided to go on a summer spree.

So who can blame Kara when she goes on a chocolate-covered fruit massacre? On Monday it was bananas, on Tuesday she consumed apples, and on Wednesday she decimated strawberries, all to her immense glee and satisfaction.

Kara decides to go with the ever popular chocolate-covered cherries for Thursday. She gets to work at home that day, so she happily sets up camp in her girlfriend’s apartment and works on her article while gorging on boxes of cherries. They disappear rapidly, and Kara is down to her final cherry when Lena returns home.

“Hey! I was going to eat that!” Kara protests when Lena automatically swipes that last piece of heaven.

Lena rolls her eyes.

“You’ve eaten like… what, four boxes now already?” she points out. “Missing one won’t kill you.”

“Yeah, but I saved the best for last,” Kara whines. “That one looked the juiciest, the sweetest, the ripest, the most delectabl–”

“Please?” Lena begs, jutting out her lower lip in a pout. “I’ve been craving cherries the whole day since you texted me, telling me you had a bunch.”

“Fine, anything for you–” Kara cuts off her default response as she suddenly remembers something. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she crosses her arms and glares at her oh-so-innocent girlfriend. “Wait, didn’t I drop off a box for you along with your lunch?”

“Oh,” Lena says casually. “I must have forgotten.”

Kara holds her hand out, waiting for her treasure to be returned. Lena Luthor isn’t one to let a chance slip away though, and so she holds that last cherry away from Kara’s reach.

“You’ll have to pay for this one, Miss Danvers,” she says with a glint in her eyes.

“Oh?” Kara takes a step forward. “And what is the price, Miss Luthor?”

“Kiss me.”

Kara grins.

Slowly and gently, she raises a hand to cup Lena’s face. She hears a sharp intake of breath when her fingers brush along Lena’s jaw, and her heart swells with fondness from the contented sigh she hears as she carefully cradles Lena’s cheek.

“Welcome home,” Kara breathes out, watching Lena’s eyes flutter shut as she tilts her head.

Kara leans in, slowly, slowly, slowly… and then she chomps down on the last chocolate-covered cherry.

Lena doesn’t speak to her for the rest of the afternoon.


	54. “Do you…well…I mean…I could give you a massage?”

Being a useless lesbian can be extremely exhausting at times. More so if you happen to be pining (uselessly) after your straight best friend.

It’s just Lena’s luck, really, to fall in love with with someone who will never love her back. Her friends apparently agree too, for Nia would not stop giggling hysterically and Alex gave her the absolute weirdest look the one night she drunkenly lamented how she has no chance in hell with Kara because of their incompatible sexualities.

Of course, none of this means that Lena is actually going to _do_ anything about the situation. It’s not like she can confess her feelings; only a fool would do that, and Lena is no fool. (She’s a useless lesbian.) She can’t exactly get rid of her feelings either because it’s _Kara Zor-El Danvers_ and, well, Lena is a useless lesbian. So she’ll just continue to pine (uselessly)… despite the negative impact it’s been having on her wellbeing.

Lena has been suffering one of the side effects of late night pining lately, namely sleep deprivation. This has led to an increase in irritability, a decrease in concentration, and a visible change in her appearance that has led to more than one person questioning her health. Naturally, Kara is on the very top of that list, and she’s been pestering Lena nonstop over the past week.

“Lena, you need to rest,” she says even now, arms crossed as she camps in Lena’s office chair.

“I’m fine,” Lena insists from the couch. She hasn’t bothered to get up from her seat, not since Kara immediately stole her usual spot after they finished eating lunch. “Really, Kara, just let me finish that one report–”

“Lena…”

Maybe she really isn’t fine, Lena concedes, for she feels strangely warm from how Kara’s voice drops to a lower register as she scolds Lena.

Lena clears her throat.

“… I’ll take tomorrow off,” she decides in the end. “Now will you please let me finish today’s work?”

“Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?” 

Kara’s voice is much softer now, and it sends a flip through Lena’s stomach. Kara must have heard how Lena’s heart skipped a beat too, for she immediately frowns in concern.

“Listen, I don’t want to keep bothering you, but are you sure you’re okay?” Kara asks.

Lena almost rolls her eyes in affectionate exasperation. 

“I’m fine, seriously.”

“Do you…” Kara bites her lip. “Well… I mean… I could give you a massage?”

“… What.”

Kara smiles apologetically.

“You’ve been looking really stressed out lately,” she explains. “And yes, I know you say you’re fine, but… Just let me help?”

 _No, I’m going to die if you give me a massage_ , Lena’s brain thinks.

“Yes, that would be nice,” her mouth says.

Lena is still in shock from the sheer audacity and stupidity of her mouth when Kara stands up. She vanishes in a blur, reappearing only to whisk Lena off of her couch and into her usual seat. 

“Just relax, okay?” 

Kara says that as if Lena is even remotely capable of doing anything close to resembling relaxation right now. It takes all her strength to keep her breath steady as her best friend gently places her hands on her shoulders, and she’s sure her entire body has gone stiff from fighting the urge to flinch upon the first contact. Kara doesn’t seem to mind though, and she murmurs a  _‘sorry’_ before beginning the massage.

And then Lena dies.

She’s pretty sure she does, at any rate. For all of Kara’s vaunted strength as the Girl of Steel, her touch is unbelievably gentle yet firm. Lena can feel the kindness and care seeping through Kara’s fingers as she tenderly applies pressure to all the right places, practically turning Lena into mush. 

This must be heaven, Lena thinks, and her mind helplessly begins to wander in a socially inappropriate direction.

Kara suddenly stops her ministrations.

Before Lena can bite back a disappointed groan, Kara kneels at her side, taking one of her hands. 

“Are you okay?” Kara asks, panic in her eyes. “Your heartbeat suddenly started speeding up out of the blue and you looked kind of flushed right now and, and–”

She breaks off into a sputter, but Lena doesn’t pay much attention to that. She can’t, not with the way that Kara is softly stroking the back of her hand with so much worry and _love_ in her eyes.

“I–”

Lena’s thoughts are a completely disordered and frazzled mess. A part of her is still lost in heaven while another part laments Kara’s straightness. Yet another portion of her mind has died of shame, and its ghost produces the only coherent thought Lena can come up with.

“I need to go home,” Lena blurts out weakly. “You were right; I need to go home and rest.”

Kara promptly flies Lena away as soon as she finishes making the appropriate phone calls to Sam and Jess. The flight soothes Lena’s nerves a bit, though that’s mostly because she’s distracted by being in the love of her life’s arms.

“Don’t let me catch you doing work,” Kara warns after depositing Lena in her apartment. “Just take a shower and go to sleep, promise?”

“I promise,” Lena says. That’s exactly what she planned on, after all.

Kara doesn’t need to know it’s going to be a cold shower.


	55. “So, I found this waterfall…” + “This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had. Of course I’m in.”

“So, I found this waterfall…”

Lena gave a noncommittal hum as she continued to scribble in her notebook, her hand flying as fast as it could to keep up with her brain’s calculations. Meticulously tiny digits and formulas spanned the papers before her, a stark contrast to her study buddy’s notes, which would have been regarded as neat and concise were it not for the random doodles lining the margins.

Kara twirled her pen in the air with one hand as she placed her chin in the other, watching Lena closely. A small smile sat on her lips, one that gradually widened as the seconds passed only to disappear when Kara caught herself staring and cleared her throat.

“As I was saying… There’s a waterfall not too far from campus. We should check it out sometime.”

“Mm,” Lena murmured, now drawing a highlighter across her notes.

Kara continued, not deterred by this apparent lack of interest in her words. She knew her best-friend-slash-almost-girlfriend was listening even if she didn’t _seem_ to be, and so she proceeded detailing her plans.

“I was thinking we should head down sometime soon,” Kara said casually.

“’Kay.”

“Maybe just the two of us, you know?”

“Mhm.”

“We should ditch class on Friday and head over in the afternoon.”

This specific suggestion clearly set off an invisible alarm, for Lena’s head snapped up as her marker froze in its spot on her paper.

“ _Ditch class_?” Lena repeated, scandalized. “You want to _ditch class_ the week before finals? You want to ditch _Professor Grant’s_ class right before finals?”

“Ah, she won’t care. She likes us too much!” Kara grinned. “C’mon, I really need a break from all this cramming. More importantly, _you_ need a break from all this studying.”

“Studying is important and is the key to success,” Lena recited sternly. “And do you seriously expect me to miss class for a waterfall?” 

Kara resisted the urge to roll her eyes, opting for flattery instead.

“It’s all just review at this point, which Lena Luthor does not need because Lena Luthor already knows everything,” Kara said rather smugly. It’s not _really_ flattery if it’s the truth, she figured.

Lena narrowed her eyes, though a distinct pink tinge appeared in her cheeks. She didn’t give in quite yet though, so Kara pulled out her not-so-secret weapon: puppy eyes.

“C’mon,” Kara cajoled, even reaching across the table to take Lena’s hand. “The weather is gonna be awesome on Friday, I already checked. We can forget about school for a bit and just relax, you know? It’ll be just you and me and we can chill and start a campfire and even go swimming. It’ll be fun, I promise. You in?”

Lena pursed her lips as she ran through various scenarios in her mind.

“This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had,” she finally said. “Of course I’m in.”

“Yes!” Kara immediately broke into a gigantic grin, beaming happily at Lena. “Trust me, it’s going to be so worth it. This waterfall is super pretty.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, yeah,” Kara said. “It’s definitely pretty.”

Her grin slowly turned into a smirk as she leaned forward.

“It’s almost as pretty as you.”

**Author's Note:**

> fromanothersun.tumblr.com


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